Baby K's First Christmas (sort of)

Baby K's first Christmas was very lucrative for him/her :) So many of our family members were extremely generous this holiday season.

Here are a few of the things Baby K got this Christmas...


I also hit up the after-Christmas sales for holiday outfits and such for Baby K's real first Christmas next year (don't ask why the picture is sideways, just turn your head!)...

And the piece de resistance...this adorable snowman snuggly! I can't wait to see Baby K dressed in this next year!

Happy holidays from our family to yours! Merry Christmas 2010!

Week 24

Week 24 has brought some much-needed rest and relaxation for me! I am grateful for that since I'm not sleeping well during the night at all. I am up several times a night because my back hurts and it's hard for me to get comfortable. Other than the lack of sleep, I'm feeling pretty good. Baby K continues to move around a lot, and his/her kicks are getting much stronger! I continue to have some food aversions (mainly chicken) but no cravings (other than chocolate, but that's normal for me!). I forgot to weigh myself this week so I'm not sure how many more pounds I gained. All in all, I'm just getting more and more anxious for Baby K to arrive!

Doctors, Doctors and More Doctors

This week I had two doctor's appointments. The first was a meet and greet with a pediatrician. I absolutely loved her, and we have decided that Dr. Kelly Slama-McManus will be Baby K's pediatrician!

The second appointment was my latest prenatal check-up. Everything went very smoothly! Baby K's heartrate was 132 and everything seems to be progressing right on schedule. The only downside to the appointment was that I had to see the doctor I'm not a big fan of, and he wouldn't tell us if Baby K has flipped or not. He said he prefers to wait a bit longer before we start worrying about the baby being breech. Ugh! Guess I'll try again next month when I see a different doctor in the practice!

My next appointment is four weeks from now (then I'm onto bi-weekly appointments), and I get to have the lovely glucose test...yay!

Week 23

Week 23 proved to be a bit more difficult than recent weeks. Not only was it my last week of school before Winter Break (so I was crazy busy), but I came down with a nasty cold. I've been congested and coughing all week long. As if it's not already hard enough to breathe without throwing nasal congestion into the mix! I will be a happy camper if I don't have to deal with another pregnancy cold (this is my 3rd one)!

Baby K is doing just fine, though. He or she is kicking like crazy, and now most of the movement I feel is on my lower left side rather than right...wonder if the baby decided to flip??? I am still having some occasional heartburn, but it wasn't nearly as bad this week.

So far, I've gained 15 pounds. The crazy hunger wasn't as crazy this week, but I am having some definite food aversions again. I think I may be done with chicken for awhile. I can eat beef, ham and turkey, but for some reason, the sight of chicken makes me sick.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good! We go back to the doctor this week so I'll have an update then.

Week 22

Finally a decent picture...yay!

This past week hasn't been too bad, although I've been very stressed out for a lot of different reasons. Christmas break definitely needs to come very soon so I can get some relaxation in!

Baby K is moving around all the time now. I can usually feel the most movement at night (often in the middle of the night) and after I eat a meal. Baby K weighs over a pound now and will be doubling his or her weight in the next four weeks...yikes! So far, I've gained 13 pounds, and thankfully it's all baby! This week, I am going to start doing prenatal yoga, as it's getting far too cold for me to continue walking. Even Hoosier doesn't want to go outside anymore!

The only developments this week have been some crazy bad heartburn and some weird piercing pain near my breastbone that shoots into my back and shoulder. Usually it happens when I'm laying down and walking around is the only thing that helps. I'm fairly certain it's stress-related, and luckily, it comes and goes pretty quickly!

Overall, things are still pretty good around here! We are gearing up for the holidays and can't wait for Baby K to be here to celebrate Christmas with us next year!

Week 21

I know this isn't really a great belly shot, but the one we took turned out beautifully except that my eyes were closed. Oh well! Here we are at Pokagon at Thanksgiving.

Week 21 has brought much of the same except much more movement! Baby K is really moving around a lot these days! I did experience some very mild Braxton-Hicks contractions earlier in the week that caused me to feel very nauseous and the baby to move around like crazy. Hopefully, these will help the baby to flip out of the breech position!

I am getting a bit more uncomfortable and tired as the days go by, but I can't really complain too much. Overall, I feel great!

My next prenatal appointment is a couple of days before Christmas so we will just continue to keep our fingers crossed that Baby K decides to turn around!

Ultrasound-21 weeks

Yesterday, we had another ultrasound. It was fun getting another sneak peek at Baby K. He/she is so much bigger than the last time we got to take a look at 9 weeks!

Right now, Baby K weighs 1 lb., 1 oz., has a head circumference of 19 cm, a head length of 5 cm and is in the 51st percentile for length. Everything shows that he/she is right on track, does not show signs of any birth defects and has all functioning organs and limbs. Baby K is still measuring a little big but only by 2 days now instead of over a week like at the last ultrasound. Once again, the heart rate was a nice and strong 145 bpm.

The only potential problem they noticed was that Baby K is currently sitting breech. His/her legs are pushing into my left hip (which explains the terrible hip pain I've been having) and baby's head is up higher on my right side. Interestingly enough, all the movement I've been feeling on my right side, which I thought were kicks, are actually punches and head butts! The doctor is optimistic that Baby K will flip around, although he/she doesn't seem to be quite the mover and shaker many babies are. This could prove to be a disadvantage because we need the baby to be moving around a lot right now so he/she will flip over. The longer the baby stays breech, the higher the risk of having a c-section (or the baby manually flipped...ouch!) for me. With each passing week, the baby is running out of room to move. At 34 weeks, it is virtually impossible for babies to turn over so, at that point, we will have to discuss our options. Right now, we will just keep our fingers crossed that Baby K will turn around!

Here's a look at the cute little thing (head and belly)...

and the bottom of a foot...

and another peek at Baby K's cute little face and belly. This picture is my favorite because you can so clearly make out facial features (including a smile!)...

Our next appointment is right before Christmas so I'm hoping that Baby K's present to mama is that he/she will no longer be breech!

Week 20

20 weeks...I'm halfway there already! Wow, has this pregnancy gone by fast so far (especially the 2nd trimester).

I'm still feeling pretty good, although, this week I have been more uncomfortable than previous weeks. My back is bothering me again, the headaches are off and on, and I'm really tired all the time. I'm also having trouble sleeping because I can't get comfortable.

This week, I started feeling like my heart was racing at times. Luckily, since I work in a school, I can have our school nurse take my blood pressure whenever I need to. It was pretty high all throughout the day, as was my resting heart rate. I felt very jittery too. I did call the doctor, and they assured me that this sometimes happens to pregnant women but to check my BP again the next day to make sure it had gone back down. Fortunately, it had so I'm pretty sure it was just stress.

Luckily, it was a short week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Don and I took off for Pokagon on Wednesday, and we spent a very relaxing few days there. I think it was exactly what Baby K and I needed!

Don and I are headed to the doctor on Monday for our next prenatal visit and ultrasound! We're thinking we want to know the gender of the baby now...just kidding! You'll find out in April just like we will!

Week 19

I know...the pictures just keep getting worse and worse!

So, I know I'm a couple of weeks behind in posting, but I've been really busy with the holidays coming up, and to be honest, not a whole lot is going on, pregnancy-wise right now. So for now, all you get is that lovely picture to ponder.

The Nursery

The nursery is just about done. We finished painting tonight. The bottom half is chocolate brown and the top half is a shade of lime green. The two colors are separated with a strip of khaki with brown dashed circles that are similar to those in the bedding.

The green is a bit bright for my taste, but I think it will be toned down once we hang the wood blinds and valances, as well as hang things on the wall.



Here is a close-up of the paint job (sorry about the flash).

I can't wait to fill up the room with more fun things!

Halloween 2011 Sneak Peek

Here is a little peek at Baby K's Halloween 2011 wardrobe. You can't beat the deals at Target right after the holidays!

My personal favorite is the onesie that says "I love my mummy." Ha!



Baby K will be going trick-or-treating (or just hanging around the house...whatever!) as a cheeky monkey next year!

Here's to hoping that Baby K is not unusually big or small at 6 months! Happy belated Halloween!

Week 18

Well, we forgot to take a picture at the beginning of the week so there's nothing to show for Week 18 of my pregnancy! This week has pretty much been more of the same. I feel good, I am slowly returning to normal eating habits and nothing is really bothering me.

Baby K definitely starting moving around a lot more this week, however. Especially toward the end of the week, I was feeling more distinctive movement. What a great feeling!

Week 17

So the picture is awful again! Unfortunately, Don only took one so I had to use it.

Really, there weren't many changes this week. I still feel really good, and my appetite is returning. I had a few days of pretty bad hip pain on my left side, but I could feel Baby K moving on that side so I'm pretty sure he/she was just camped out in a place that was incredibly uncomfortable for me. Luckily, it went away after a couple of days. Other than that, things are going well!

Stay tuned for a sneak peek of Baby K's Halloween 2011 wardrobe!

Week 16

My apologies for the truly horrendous photo above...yikes!

Week 16 finally brought complete and utter relief from morning sickness...I've never been so happy in all my life! I actually feel like a normal person again. Overall, I am feeling really good right now. I can eat most things (except meat still), smells don't bother me as much anymore, the back pain and headaches haven't returned, and on and on and on!

Baby K was moving around a bit in previous weeks but not so much this week. I do, however, have the hiccups ALL the time! Other than that, there really was not much going on this past week. See you next week!

Baby K Update

I had a prenatal appointment today. Everything went very well. Baby K's heart rate was steady and strong at 150 bpm. He or she is measuring right on target, and I have finally gained enough weight to be on track. Thank goodness...it seems things are finally calming down around here!

Our next appointment will be right after Thanksgiving. I'll be having an ultrasound, and we could find out the gender of the baby then, if we were those kind of people...'cept we're not! Sorry!

A Sneak Peek at the Bedding

The bedding arrived a few weeks ago (compliments of Nini and Pawpaw)! It is chocolate brown, cream and light green. I absolutely adore it! I can't wait to finish the nursery now with all the little accents that match! We still need to paint as well, but I'm keeping my idea for that under wraps until it's done.

Week 15

This week there isn't a whole lot to report. Baby K is getting bigger, and I, blessedly, am getting less nauseous. My back isn't bothering me quite as much these days either. It's like I'm turning back into a regular person! Woo hoo!

Week 14

**Sorry about the lack of spaces in between paragraphs. They show up when I am typing it but not when I publish the post. I have tried and tried (because it drives me nuts), but it won't seem to fix.

Could it be?? Could it actually be??? I had 3 really good days at the end of this week. I have hardly needed the Zofran at all this week! I'm wondering if it's possible that I'm FINALLY feeling better. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

The week started off horribly. I went back to school on Monday, after having 2 weeks off for Fall Break. I think being on my feet all day and constantly on the go was a shock to my system. I was SO sick! I couldn't eat anything, and I was really beginning to worry about the lack of weight I'm gaining (despite the look of my belly in the picture above!). I lost 2 more pounds this week...ugh. However, the end of the week brought about quite the turn-around! I'm beginning to feel more and more hungry each day and seem to have a wider array of food options!

My back is still bothering me, but I think that's probably going to stick around throughout my entire pregnancy. The headaches have happened less often this week so that's been nice. I also took a nice blow to the back with a kickball this week (thanks to my kiddos at school) that prompted a call to the doctor...don't judge, it was the first neurotic phone call I've made during my entire pregnancy! The nurse assured me that Baby K would be just fine despite the inner tornado that he or she probably felt! It sure didn't help my back pain, though!

The best part about this week though? Baby K has been a-moving and a-shaking a LOT this week! Apparently he or she likes the song "Hallelujah" (you may remember it from the movie "Shrek") because I was singing along to it on the way to work this week, and Baby K was having quite the dance party in my belly! Who knows? Maybe the kickball incident made Baby realize how fun it is to move around in there!

Coming up: an updated look at the nursery...the bedding came!

Baby K's First Photo Shoot

Don and I had our pictures taken by a very talented photographer, Ashley Ernstberger, a few weeks ago. Baby K definitely decided to make his or her presence known that day!

Here are a few of Baby K's first family pictures...

I can't wait to have Ashley take photos of our family once Baby K arrives next spring!

Week 13

For a pregnant girl that's not really gaining weight, I sure look like I am! As I mentioned last week, I'm going to be in trouble with my doctor in a few weeks if I don't start gaining weight like I should be. The problem is that I'm still so nauseous that I can't eat anything. Once I force food down, I do feel better, but NOTHING sounds good...pretty much all food makes me want to throw up :( I do better if we go out to eat and I have lots of options, but we can't eat out everyday for obvious reasons!

Despite feeling sick most of the time, I have had a couple of days where I feel good. Unfortunately, those days make me hopeful that the nausea is passing, and usually, by the next day, it's back full force!

My back is still bothering me occasionally, but the headaches seem to be gone. Overall, I really am feeling pretty good. My next prenatal appointment is at the end of October.

In more exciting news, the diaper stacker I ordered for the nursery arrived this week so now I can use it to go match paint colors. I have (in my opinion) a pretty cool plan for how we are going to paint the nursery. I'll post pictures once it's done, but that probably won't be for awhile! See you next week!

Week 12

Here I am at 12 weeks! I'm still feeling nauseous and not really liking food too much, particularly pizza and meat...blech! A few things I can't get enough of are Cool Ranch Doritos, milk and bagels (or any bread, for that matter).

My back has been bothering me quite a bit, and the headaches have continued at night. I get the hiccups all the time too!

I think I felt the Baby K move this week, though! We were sitting on the deck, enjoying a nice fall evening when I felt a strange little sensation in my belly. I sat really still for a few more minutes and felt it one more time.

All in all, things are going pretty well. I'm really just ready to be nausea-free, but it's definitely better than it was several weeks ago so I can't complain too much!

Baby Furniture

The baby furniture finally arrived yesterday after the shipment had been delayed three times! Don hauled it into the nursery, and I spent the entire day today putting it together. It. Was. Not. Fun. I am exhausted from it!



By mid-afternoon, this is what the nursery looked like...yikes!

By late afternoon, I had made more progress...

Finally, I was completely done with all three pieces (crib, dresser/changing table and hutch) around 6:30 tonight.

Here's a sneak peek at the nursery (minus all decorative aspects!)...

P.S. I made that plate on the top shelf to match the color scheme of the nursery.

A little birdie told me that the crib bedding is en route to Indianapolis as I type...yay!

I'll be sure to keep you posted as we paint, add bedding and finish off the room! As Don said tonight when he walked in the baby's room, "All we need now is the baby!"

Week 12-Doctor's Appt. #2

Today I had a prenatal appointment. Besides the very long wait at the office, things went well. I have lost weight (as I suspected) due to the nausea and food aversions. I'm hoping that, since I'm just about into the 2nd trimester, all of that loveliness will be soon making its exit!

I also got to hear Baby K's heartbeat and it was strong as could be! Overall, things looked great. I will go back in a month, when I'm about 17 weeks.

Week 12-Doctor's Appt. #1

Today I saw my sweet urologist, Dr. Ramsey. He provided me with some much-needed relief...after hearing about the recurrent bladder infections I'm getting, he decided to put me on a low dose of an antibiotic for a month (and possibly the remainder of my pregnancy). I am prone to bladder and kidney infections, and since kidney infections and kidney stones can be dangerous to the baby, he figured an antibiotic was the way to go. I'm going to try it out for a month to see if it helps keep the infections away. If it does, I'll stay on it until the baby comes.

Tomorrow, I have doctor's appt. #2 for my next prenatal check-up. I'll keep you posted!

Week 11

Here I am at 11 weeks...already quite the belly. I am s l o w l y starting to feel better. I am still relying on the Zofran to get me through the day occasionally and am still having a hard time with food. I am having trouble sleeping because I'm uncomfortable and have to go to the bathroom a lot (which actually isn't all that unusual for me!).

I've gained about 3-4 pounds (looks like lots more though...ha!) and Baby K is the size of a lime. I can still fit into some of my regular clothes but am rotating in some maternity clothes. This week was like Christmas for me. My dear friend, Lindsay, brought me 2 gigantic tubs of maternity clothes (that's in addition to the large bag she'd already let me borrow)...thank goodness for her!

I am now on Fall Break for 2 weeks so I am hoping that Baby K and I get some much-needed rest and relaxation and return to school feeling well. My next prenatal appointment is next Wednesday so I'll keep you updated!

Week 10

**Note: I am now 12 weeks pregnant. I wrote this 2 weeks ago, as a way of journaling my pregnancy, week by week. We're almost up to date!

I am one quarter of the way through my pregnancy...wow! This week got pretty difficult again. I have ANOTHER bladder infection, and along with that, returned the fatigue and morning sickness...yuck! I had to take another trip to the doctor to get antibiotics and am starting to feel better. I've been very nauseous, though, this week and haven't been able to eat much.


When I was at the doctor, they did weigh me and I have surprisingly gained 3 pounds so far. This is good news since at my last visit I had lost 5 pounds. I am definitely beginning to look pregnant too. In fact, my students started questioning it so I finally had to tell them this week. They are really excited and had lots of questions!


Hopefully, I can keep these bladder infections away and start feeling better as I get closer and closer to the second trimester!

Week 9

**Note: I am now 12 weeks pregnant. I wrote this post 3 weeks ago, as a way of journaling my pregnancy, week by week.

I feel better...then I feel sick...then I feel better...then I feel sick. This is pretty much my life right now. Eating is still really difficult too.


The best part about this week was, of course, hearing Baby K's heartbeat and then making it official to all our family. Everyone was so excited for us! We tried to tell as many people in person as we could so we traveled to South Bend for the long weekend. When I returned to work on Tuesday, I announced our good news to all my co-workers. It's so nice to not have to keep it a secret any longer! Now the only ones left that don't know are my kiddos at school. Maybe next week...

Our First Ultrasound

Here are a couple of photos of Baby K! He (I think it's a boy...don't read too much into it) hung upside-down like a bat during the ultrasound, occasionally wiggling around a bit. He is measuring a bit over an inch...in fact, the ultrasound tech wanted to move my due date up a week, but ultimately my doctor decided to keep it at April 8. His heartrate was a very strong and fast 189! They said the ultrasound showed nothing to be concerned about so we are very thankful for that!

I continue to feel much better this week so I am also very thankful for that! I'll post more about Week 9 soon!

Week 8

**Note: I am now 11 weeks pregnant. I wrote this post 3 weeks ago, before most people knew, as a way of journaling my pregnancy, week by week.

I am finally beginning to feel better! Yay! I am down to feeling sick maybe every other day or so. Unfortunately, I'm still funny about food and what I can handle eating. Overall, though, this is the best week I've had in awhile.

Our first ultrasound and prenatal appointment is coming up next week. I'll keep you posted on how it goes! We can't wait to hear Baby K's heartbeat and know all is well!

Week 7

**Note: I am now 11 weeks pregnant. This post was written 4 weeks ago, before anyone knew, as a way of journaling my pregnancy, week by week.

Is it possible that I'm on the morning sickness upswing??? This week, I had a few bad days and a few good days. I have Zofran now for the nausea, but I haven't had to take it too often. I am praying that the morning sickness is beginning to make its exit! I haven't been nearly as tired this week either. I have been getting headaches and occasional heartburn, but all in all, this week hasn't been too bad.

I'm really looking forward to Friday, our first ultrasound! More details to come on that later!

Week 6

**Note: I am now almost 11 weeks pregnant. This post was written 5 weeks ago, before anyone knew, as a way of journaling my pregnancy, week by week.

Well, I am now 6 weeks pregnant and have just about every sign and symptom of early pregnancy that you can think of. Severe nausea...check. Headaches...check. Fatigue...check. Food aversions...check. You name it, I have it. I even got to take an extra trip to my OB this week for a bladder infection. As if I don't have enough on my plate!

My appointment with the nurse educator went well. We went over nutrition (as if I want to think about food at a time like this), exercise (yeah right) and everything else pregnancy related. It was a very thorough appointment...if only she could tell me what to do to get rid of the nausea. Ugh!

Here's to hoping all this craziness goes away sooner rather than later! And yes, as negative as I sound right now, I really am quite excited. It will just be a little easier for me to be excited once I am spending less time crouched over the toilet and trying every morning sickness remedy on the market! See you next week!

Week 5

**Note: I am now about 10 and 1/2 weeks pregnant. I wrote this about 5 weeks ago, before anyone knew, as a way of journaling my pregnancy, week by week.

This has been an interesting (and not so fun) week! I started off the week feeling VERY tired. I am taking naps whenever I can and going to bed each night by 8 or 9. Then, by the middle of the week, morning sickness, intense food aversions and mood swings set in. I am pretty much feeling nauseous 24/7, although, I did purchase SEA-Bands yesterday and they seem to be improving the situation a bit. I have had a very hard time eating this week because very few things sound appealing to me. I seem to be ok with carbs and fruit. Sweets, however, are out (how bizarre for me!).

I am trying to walk with Hoosier each night, but the intense heat here in Indianapolis and the nausea are making that difficult. So I'm trying to just rest as much as I can and eat as much as I can handle, for the time being.

This week I have also developed a terrible head cold (thanks to my kiddos at school) which has just about put me over the edge! I was already an emotional wreck, but things got much worse after I developed the cold. I actually cried in the middle of Walgreen's yesterday morning because the 70 year male pharmacist refused to tell me what kind of cold medicine was safe for me to take. I mean, seriously! At least I can laugh about it now, but at the time, I was traumatized. Thankfully, I have awesome friends at work! One in particular ran out to the nearest pharmacy and picked up medicine she knew I could take (by the way, the pharmacist where she went was more than happy to confirm her choice as safe). Now, I am hopefully on my way to getting rid of this cold and feeling less nauseous thanks to the SEA-Bands!

My first appointment with the nurse educator at my OB/GYN's office is on Monday! I'll keep you all posted on how it goes!

Welcome!

On Saturday, July 31, 2010, I found out I was pregnant (even though I had had a feeling for a week or two prior)! We are so excited to meet our first bundle of joy, Baby K, sometime in April!

In this blog, I will be chronicling Baby K's life (and adventures later on), starting at the very beginning.

Welcome! I hope you'll stick around!

Week 4

**Note: I am now 10 weeks pregnant. I wrote this 6 weeks ago, before anyone knew, as a way of journaling my pregnancy, week by week.

This week, I felt pretty good. I have had a bit of nausea and fatigue, but other than that, I have just been HUNGRY!! I want to eat pretty much anything that won't run away from me! I even wake up most nights for a snack! I seem to crave carbs in particular. However, I did find out the hard way that Baby K does NOT like pizza. How un-American, right? Baby K does, however, love Trefoils (the Girl Scout cookie). Ironically, my troop had several boxes of Trefoils leftover from cookie sales last year. I will be putting those to good use! God really does work in mysterious ways, huh?

I meet with the nurse educator in about a week for my first appointment and have an ultrasound scheduled in about a month. We have decided not to find out the sex of Baby K. It will be a big surprise come April!