28 weeks!

Here's the official photo from Saturday.

Kevin and I started our childbirth classes at the hospital yesterday. We have 6 weeks of classes (once a week) where we learn all about birth, caring for a newborn, etc, etc. The first night went pretty well. Kevin volunteered to get up front and wear a backpack on his stomach that the instructor proceeded to fill with 30 lbs of various odds and ends to symbolize all of the extra weight I'll be carrying around. Not sure its the best depiction of what its like to be prego, but an interesting perspective for him, nonetheless.

I've been busy looking at garage sales and craigslist for furniture and other bits of baby paraphernalia. I'm starting to wonder if I should just order some furniture online so that we have it in time, but I can't bring myself to part with the $$ that is required to get a crib AND a dresser/changing table brand new. I'll probably enjoy it more if I hold out for a real steal so I guess I'll keep looking for something used. I can't help but think that someone out there fell for the marketing ploy of "buy the best - aka EXPENSIVE - for your child" and needs to offload it for half the price. Ahh.. I think I'd be frugal even if I was a millionaire. =)

I had a doctors visit yesterday and everything checked out fine. I'm measuring a week behind schedule, but nothing to be worried about. I've had a lot of people come up to me and tell me that they think I'm carrying small for how far along I am. It honestly had me worried a couple weeks ago - so much so that I called my friend who's a resident at Hopkins and asked her about it. She said that there were a lot of reasons women carry differently and as long as my measurements were within 2 weeks of where I actually was, then I was fine. The little bambino has been moving a lot more frequently - so that had been reassuring. I guess I can hope for a smaller (but still healthy) baby after all!

A lot of people have been asking me if I have any unusual cravings. Um... well no. I eat sweets a lot more than before and I know that's not really good for me, but my willpower has gone straight out the door. I've been walking to combat the calorie increase and that seems to help. I tried to run as long as I could (I wanted to run a 5K at 24 weeks) but it was highly unrealistic to think I'd be running very long into my pregnancy. I've heard of women that run right up until their due date, but I'm not sure how they do that. I get a sharp pain at the base of my stomach when I run - ligament pain I've heard. I tried biking and that produced its own pain so I'm just walking. Its kind of funny because my hands and my feet puff up horribly after about 45 minutes and I resemble the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

You know what is interesting is people's reaction to a pregnant woman that is active (exercising or just willing to carry things, squat, do cartwheels with the kids, etc). A lot of people have the perception that you can't break a sweat when you're pregnant because its bad for the baby. If I followed everyones advice, I'd be parked on the couch in the air-conditioning, sending Kevin to the store every 15 minutes to replenish my bon-bon supply. Hmm.. that doesn't sound so bad! =) Honestly, though, I'm not really the sort to have people wait on me - I'm just too impatient. And I prefer to do things myself. Ha! I'd like to be the one lifting, painting, going here and there, crossing things off my list. My body has definitely told me to slow down but I don't think I'll ever completely sit back and be waited on unless (heaven forbid) I'm bound to bed rest. We'll see what these last 12 weeks holds... I've been told that the third trimester is a whole different ballgame!

Nesting

Ok, ok. I know its been a while. I really have no excuse! I have to mentally prepare myself for a blog entry I guess and feel like I have something to say. I've actually been getting a lot done the past couple weeks. Kevin has been out of town for business in Dallas and now is on a guys' fishing trip. I originally balked at the idea of him leaving so soon after he just got back from Dallas, but this is his last chance to get away before the kiddo arrives and I knew he REALLY wanted to go. Strange thing, fishing is. I have absolutely no desire to sit there with a pole in the water and reel the slimy little buggers in. But if that's what makes you happy... To each his own!

I've been a bit OCD in Kevin's absence. I'm a list maker from way back and am constantly scheduling out my time at home to figure out how much I can cram into my evenings and weekends. My inlaws came over last week and helped me install the closet shelves in the coat closet (it looks awesome!). Then, Kevin (in his brief stop at the house between trips) helped me install the baby's closet shelves. (No...we still dont have a name). Of course I had to then organize all of the cute little clothes and hang them up and arrange the room just so. We still dont have furniture for that room, but I have been amassing quite a stash of baby items (swing, pack n play, activity mat, bathtub, etc) that are finding a home piled in the corner. Its all a combination of garage sale finds and generous hand me downs from friends. I've found that baby stuff retails for a ridiculous amount of money so whatever I can get my hands on in gently used condition, I'm happy to have. Its ridiculous that baby items are so pricey when they are needed for only a short period of time!

I've found that I've been staying up late (last night 2am, tonight... 1245) several nights because I've not been tired and I've been compelled to finish a long task list before I finally hit the hay. What could be so important, you ask? Ah, well tonight I went through mail, did laundry, organized everything under the bathroom sink and weeded my old purses for goodwill - all after 10pm. I also ironed some baby clothes... hmmm... I dont even iron my OWN clothes. I guess you call this nesting - this wanting to make sure everything is in order before the kid arrives. I'm even itching to organize my husbands computer room - I must be REALLY crazy! Maybe I'm just realizing that I'm not going to have time to do this stuff after Sept 8th so I better jump at the opportunity.

You know though, my girlfriend Jill was just telling me how much she was surprised that she was able to get so much done since she's had her daughter. And I've recently met a lady at church with 4 boys (one is an infant) and she works full time. So, maybe it wont really be as bad as I think. I still think I'd like to go camping in October (in a tent)... I may really think I'm nuts when that rolls around. I'll keep you posted!

We Love GOOD Food. =)

Alright, Folks! We've been eating at home more to save money and I've been trying to make the meals a little more "gourmet" to make it exciting. Here's a few recipes (some freshly tried and some old favorites) that we absolutely love. Hope you enjoy them too!

Super easy and QUICK Ribs

Yummy Baked Scallops (make sure you read the reviews and cut down on the sauce so they won't be too mushy)

Lauren's Favorite Shrimp Salad (use a little Kraft spicy mayo in place of some of the regular mayo)

Cornucopia Salad
(This is the BEST SALAD YOU'VE EVER EATEN **everyone asks for this recipe** Add shrimp or chicken to it to make it a dinner)

3 Tbsp sugar
½ cup sliced almonds
½ head green leaf lettuce
½ head romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, cut up
1 apple, peeled and sliced
¼ cup dried crasins
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup oil
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Wisk together

Melt the 3 Tbsp of sugar in a large, dry frying pan with the almonds. Stir until the almonds are coated and browned, being careful not to burn. Spread almonds on aluminum foil.

Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Add almonds and toss with the dressing.

Sausage Fingers

Tonights blog entry is inspired by my friend Rachel and her fun method of linking items.

Ahh... so I just got back from an hour long walk. I've been walking here the past few days. I had been walking around the park near our house, but its only a mile loop so walking it three times can get boring. I've exhaused many of the loops around our house too - so this is a nice change. I noticed today I got a few funny stares. My t-shirt was pretty tight to my stomach so I'm sure people either knew I was pregnant or were thinking I needed to do a WHOLE LOT more walking. =)

One of the interesting things about pregnancy is the massive swelling that goes on in your body. I definitely think the heat (and the fact that I like salt) aggravates it too. At the end of my walk my fingers were like little sausages and my feet felt rather inflated. I've only really noticed this the past few weeks. That and a pain at the bottom of my stomach - which I've been told is ligament pain. For that reason, I've stopped jogging - it just hurt too much. I'd go out for a short jog around the block and be hobbling around the rest of the night as if I'd run a marathon. I thought riding a bike would be a bit better, but I paid dearly for that the next day - maybe I'm just bit too ambitious about how much I can do. =)

I'm sure at the end of the summer I'll be glad to have my body back, but right now I'm enjoying the aches and pains. I know, call me strange, but I guess after Joseph I'm just glad to have made it this far with a clean bill of health. Its almost as if these aches and pains are signals that the baby is getting bigger and my body is progressing as it should be. I had the realization tonight that I really only have 2.5 more weeks until my 3rd trimester! I dont know where I've been, but these past few weeks have really flown by. I remember the weeks crawling by in my first trimester thinking "am I really only 8 weeks?". I'm envisioning the summer going by pretty fast.

People have asked me if she moves a lot - and the answer is yes. She definitely has times in which she's active, though. The book I read said she has the wake/sleep patterns of a newborn now - which worries me a bit. Currently she's indicating that she's wide awake at 10am and 10pm!. Right as I'm winding down for bed she's ready to party. =)

Well, I'm going to go hit the sack soon. Night all!

25 weeks!!

Well, someone finally knew I was pregnant this week! Let me tell you this is SO refreshing. Its come up in conversations before this week and people have acted surprised when they find out I'm pregnant. Hmmm... not so encouraging since my stomach has been sticking out for some time now. Maybe they just think I have a vice for Ritas. Here's a pic of the 25 week belly...

What's in a Name?

So a lot of people have been asking us if we've picked a name yet (because peanut would be a bit odd). The short answer to that question? No. This has been the great debate as Kevin and I seem to be on opposite sides of the fence about the perfect name. I think that's the hardest part. If this was kid #4 or #5, it might be a bit less important to pick that "perfect" name since maybe we'd already have exhausted our favorites. But since we don't know how many girls we're going to have, this is our ONE shot at the best girl name we can come up with - no pressure!

Generally speaking, Kevin likes names that are bit more commonplace and I like names that are a bit more unusual - but not made up or bizarre (like Moonflower or anything). If you talk to us in person about it, Kevin will be happy to chime in that I thought the name Mordecai was a nice name at one point. Just to defend myself, I thought the name Kai was cute for a boy (although its not my FAVORITE) and I thought that Mordecai was a great character in the Bible. Retrospectively, if I really wanted the name Kai, I'd probably go with Malachi...but we've got girls name to focus on so it doesn't really matter. That's the hardest part - Kevin and I semi agreed on boy's names we liked (except for Mordecai, obviously) and had never really discussed girls names. Ah well, we have 3 more months to duke it out I guess. =)

Oh, just to let you know... we're not actually sharing what the contenders are. We WILL share her name with everyone once we've picked it out, though. It just makes it easier for both of us to weigh the choices in our minds. However, if you have any ideas for what you think her name should be, we're definitely taking suggestions. So, please leave a comment. We can use all the help we can get!

Babified

Last week we did something we had never done - registered for baby stuff. I intended to go with a girlfriend of mine who was educated in the field of what you really needed to get by, but Kevin was determined not to be left out of the festivities and insisted he come along. So we made it a double date - Nathan and Heather (& Ella) and Kevin and me.

As we perused the aisles of highchairs and pack n plays, Kevin quickly became a "deer in the headlights" and proclaimed he was headed to the camping section. Ha! Ah well... at least he lasted 5 minutes. =)

I have to admit to being a bit overwhelmed myself. Neither one of us want our home to be "babified" - a term we use to describe the virtual "taking over the house" by primary colored plastic objects. I'm sure its something that becomes rather innocuous to you after a while, but the idea of having our little cutie pie enter our life requiring much more stuff for a day out of the house than I have ever taken on a week long vacation is a bit horrifying to both of us. Ah, you say... "such newbies". And I have to admit - we really are.

So we've managed to pick out fairly neutral baby gear just to make the initial impact a bit less shocking, but I'm guessing that this kid is going to be like all the rest eventually - brightly colored plastic toys in tow. And I'm guessing at that point (once they're here) we won't really care about that stuff anymore.

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Lib!

Today is a momentous occasion. It's my sister Elizabeth's 1/2 birthday - she's the big 21.5 today! I'm sure a lot of you out there probably don't celebrate half birthday's but my family always made it a point to celebrate those all important milestones with a little recognition, because lets face it - when you're little a year is a heck of a long time to wait! It all really got started from a kids book titled (The Half Birthday Party). You have to remember that we were the family who at one point discovered that the maximum amount of books one person could check out of the library was 100 because we ACTUALLY had that many kids books checked out. =) Celebrating half birthdays is a tradition that just stuck for us and I plan on carrying it into OUR kids' lives. I think that theres far too little celebration anymore. And with the ho-hum of our daily lives, there needs to be a little bit more to look forward to. Twenty-four weeks tomorrow...officially 60% of the way there! Lets have a party. =)

Trip to Good Ole Springfield

During our trip to KC, I travelled down to Springfield, MO to hang out with two of my close girlfriends - Angie and Miriam. Miriam is hard at work being mom to her beautiful newborn twin girls and Angie is enjoying a really cool new house. I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it back to Springfield with a little one on the way, so it was good to catch up while I still could. I'm really dying to go to Silver Dollar City one of these days so (horror of all horrors) maybe I'll be able to talk Kevin into a family vacation to Branson. Ha! I never thought I'd see the day. =)

Angie and Me

Congratulations, Lib!

Kevin and I went to KC this past weekend and witnessed a momentous event - my baby sister graduating from college! Hard to believe that the baby of the family is out of school - we just couldnt be prouder. We all had a great time and my only regret is that we aren't in the same town to hang out more often. Love you lots girl!



Mommo and Poppo and Us

Prego Pic

Here's a pic of me at 20 weeks (officially 3 weeks ago now). But I thought I'd put it up here since I'm constantly getting reprimanded for not including enough pregnant photos. =)

Stuck in West Palm Beach

I, Kevin, am stuck here in West Palm Beach. That doesn't sound so bad now does it? Imagine if you will, some possible way that being stuck a mile from the beach in south Florida could possibly be anything but grand and fantastic. Imagine it! Stuck! Wow that would be great, no? Well, it's true, I'm stuck here, but it's not at all the essense of my hopes and dreams. In fact, the reason it's not so terrific is because I'm on a Boeing 737, with 140 other passengers parked nicely in front of Gate B5 and we aren't going anywhere. Why? Because Baltimore ground has declared us grounded because of "traffic". How do you have traffic in a 3D airspace? Well, we're here for a good while enjoying each other's sweaty stench and cramped armrests while we wait...just to take off. :)

Oh well... I always heard of people being stuck on planes for hours and thought "wow that must be aweful". Yup.

-Kevin

Mothers of Preschoolers

I went to my first MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting this past Monday and it was an interesting experience. Now, before you think we may have a 3 year old that we keep locked in our basement and have yet to bring them up, let me just clarify that MOPS allows women to join that have children aged 0-5. And pregnant women are welcome too. Just wanted to clear that up so you didn't start scratching your heads. =)
I wasn't really sure what to think about the whole affair before I went. In my mind I envisioned women sitting in a circle discussing diaper rash, potty training and Elmo. I was happily surprised when I arrived and found that they had a ladies clothing swap (maternity and non-maternity clothes), a speaker on financial planning, lots of ladies NOT dressed in jumpers, and (last but not least) plenty of good food! Who would have thought?? I'm definitely headed back next month - they're doing a ladies pampering night and there will be chocolate, a coffee bar, paraffin hand dips, a relaxation station and more.

We're having a what???

So we went to Hopkins yesterday for our detailed anatomy ultrasound and we were so excited to learn that the baby is looking totally healthy and normal! We also found out a little bit more about just WHO this little one is going to be...
The ultrasound tech said with a great deal of confidence... "I dont even need to look anymore, this is definitely a little girl!". Both Kevin and I were a bit in shock b/c the doctor at our last ultrasound had told us she thought it was a boy (although it was technically too early to really make out the parts). So we had privately been referring to "him" this and "he" that. We'd even dismissed girl names and focused on the boy names! So... we were both stunned (and delighted!) to learn the news.
I've included some pics for your viewing pleasure. We were fortunate to get a few 3D pics along with the regular ones that really show her facial features well. Enjoy!

Surprise getaway in PA

This past weekend some girlfriends of mine and I pulled one over on our husbands. They all have recently turned 30 so we decided we needed to get them out of the house for a bit of R&R. We kidnapped them at work on Thursday afternoon and drove up to PA to stay at a house in Annville (err... the middle of nowhere). =) The house came complete with an air hockey table, a ping pong table and pool as well as an old organ that the guys had a good time with. We toured the oldest brewery in America (Yuengling) and hit up the go-carts and batting cages. All in all a fun weekend away from everyday life...
Here's a few pics that capture the moments well.

Umm.... those weren't allergies....

Ok, I know its been a long time since you've heard anything from our camp and I had said I'd be updating about once a week. Well, not a lot has happened since the last post - really. Those allergies I thought I had turned out to be a cold that Kevin so lovingly shared with me. I spent a week and a half coughing, blowing my nose and laying around with body aches and no energy. Luckily all I have left is a cough which only comes out when I lie down; this has been making sleep an illusive past time. Last night I was awake until 4am insanely jealous that Kevin was catching the Zzzz's that I was so desperately craving. Finally, I got up and read a while and then drank some warm milk (why does that work, anyway?) and was able to drift off for a whopping 3 hours of beauty rest. I read an article online that said that 78% of pregnant women suffer from insomnia - although I always thought it would happen when I was having trouble getting comfortable because my stomach was taking up half the bed (which isn't the case quite yet). So if you're reading this and have any advice, I'd be willing to take it.

Yeah... I know, really exciting post this time. I meant it when I said not much had been going on since I had been under the weather - and now you believe me! =)

A week and two days until our big ultrasound! Woot! April 18th cant come too quickly. Night all!

Silly Allergies

So it was 80 degrees outside and I (Lauren) went for a bit of a walk to celebrate the coming of Spring. We also slept with the windows open last night and (much to my dismay) I woke up with a sore throat and a general feeling of *blah*ness. Hopefully it passes soon!

A cool thing to mention this week, I think I've been feeling the baby move and I had Kevin try to feel something last night. Now I know that it is early for him to feel something, but he was able to confirm what I had been feeling - a gentle rolling in my lower stomach and then a little tap (like a kick). I don't believe it was any of the other usual suspects (gas, stomach grumbles, etc). I guess we'll only be able to tell as time goes on and the sensations get stronger. It may be cause for a little alarm as babies in our family have a history of being rather large - heaven help me! =)

Alright, I've had complaints that there are no pictures of me on the site yet, so I've included one for the record. It was taken yesterday at 16.5 weeks. I'm definitely wearing maternity pants now, but can still pull of a long shirt of the non-maternity variety. All of my maternity shirts (save for the tanks I'm wearing in the picture) are rather tent-like on me still, but I'm sure I'll be busting out of them soon enough. Enjoy!

Well, I would have told you my thoughts on 30...but

After 30 minutes of writing, IE just crashed out of no-where and I just lost everything. This computer is lucky its still in one piece right now. Sorry but I just don't have it in me to write it all over again.

Well one point to note about turning 30 at least proved itself evident. I've gained a bit of patience; I didn't smash this PC... only fantasized about it.

Grrr..
Kevin

Happy 30th Birthday, Kev!

Kev is officially 30 - today! His body must be feeling it because he woke up with body aches, a sore throat and nasal congestion. Poor kid!

On Saturday, we celebrated the big milemarker with a day of adventure. We started by driving to Frederick so Kev could try his hand at flying a helicopter - something he's been dying to do ever since he started flying them in Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat (its a computer game - for those of you that aren't married to geeks!). He had an awesome time and we may have created a monster as he's itching to get back in the air. Here's some pics to chronicle the moment....

After that we hit up Houlihans - one of our favorite restaurant chains. Then, we checked out World Market, a variety shop with kitchen items and international food. That evening, we had a surprise party for him at the house with lots of food and good friends. We a blast that night! Here's some candid shots....

Needless to say, Saturday was a full, but fun, day! Gotta figure you only turn 30 once and birthdays from here on out are probably going to be a bit different - with the addition of a kid and all. Gotta live it up while we have the chance. =)

Signs that you're old...

So, everyone in our neighborhood has been patiently waiting in hopeful expectation for a new grocery store to open just down the street. Its a new grocery store for the immediate area (Redners Warehouse Market) and Kevin and I toured one north of here and thought it had a lot to offer and really good prices. So, it was supposed to open next week (March 14) and the opening date has been on my calendar for months! We only have one other grocery store in the area and they don't have a good selection and their prices are high. So in all of my glee, I emailed the company to confirm the opening date and much to my dismay they wrote back to say that they're delayed until sometime in May. WHAT!!!! My whole world is going to collapse! Going to the new store was the highlight of my week - heck (besides Kevin's birthday) the highlight of my month! *Sigh* When did grocery store openings become such big events our lives? Ha!