Baby Bump - 35 weeks

Bump 35 weeks

Bump 31 weeks

Yay... only 4 more weeks left to go. I really hope it's less than that. I'm just feeling miserable, grumpy and emotional. My body is running out of room for this little guy. The waddle has definitely set in full time and the swelling in the extremities is too. I'm still having strong contractions but not enough to warrant any concern or action yet. Does the belly look lower? It sure feels like it.

I've gotten about 1/2 the things needed for his arrival done. The only absolute things I must complete before he arrives is get diapers, setup the changing station, setup the recliner rocker and get the bassinet ready.

Last night was the first time in a long time that I got a good night's rest. I only got up once for a potty break and I slept like a baby the rest of the night. Since we got Kaitelyn her new bedroom set, she's been sleeping in her own big girl bed at night. It's been a lifesaver since I use 4-5 pillows to sleep with right now.

Kaitelyn being a silly goose while Luke takes some photos.

Baby Update

So...we have an official date our little man is to arrive. The surgery is scheduled for January 25, 2009 at 10:00am. I really hope he decides to come a little sooner, but at least we have a set date to make sure we are ready for his arrival.

These days, I've been feeling a bit nauseous, extremely sore and tired. I went in for my 2 week checkup on Monday and the doctor said I was measuring almost 4 weeks ahead. So at that time, I was 33 weeks, but my belly measured like I was almost 37 weeks along. Well...no wonder I feel the way I feel. The doctor was a little concerned about gestational diabetes so she ordered another ultrasound to check for fluid build up and the size of "little man". As far as I could tell and after asking questions, everything looked normal. He's just a big boy, he measured in at an approximate weight of 6lbs. 10oz. on Monday.

He is still pretty active and when he moves around, it almost takes my breathe away. Most of his movement is right in my belly button area or near my ribs on the right side. However, he doesn't dig in my ribs like Kaitelyn did, I think it's because he has been sitting a lot lower that Kaitelyn ever did. He is in a good position for delivery and it seems like he is happy there. I've noticed in the past couple of days that my contractions have gotten a bit stronger. I have to stop what I'm doing and concentrate on my breathing. I hope it's a sign he is coming early or maybe it's my body telling me I need to slow down and take it easy. I don't remember having strong contractions ever with Kaitelyn until I was actually in labor.

Luke and I haven't officially picked out a name yet, but here are a couple of names we have been toying around with: Carter James, Kayden James, or Kaiden James. Just as a side note: if you don't like the names, we don't care.

Anyway, I will post a new picture of the baby bump soon.

Can you believe the snow?

This past week, we received quite a bit of snow for this area. On Thursday, we received about 4 inches at our house. And tonight...well, we are hunkered down watching another round of snow. It looks like a blizzard outside. Luke and I don't remember seeing this much snow since we were little. We are expected to receive around 8 inches in our area by tomorrow. Can you believe that?!? There is a possibility that we may lose power from the strong winds moving in, but this time we are totally prepared. We have a generator now and don't have to worry about not having heat again. But, now that we are prepared, we will never lose power again. It almost feels like we're in Kansas again.

Anyway on Thursday, Kaitelyn and I spent a couple of hours outside playing in the snowflakes, trying to make snow angels and building Kaitelyn's 1st snowman. The snowman came out smaller than I anticipated, but it's still cute.


Today, just before the snow began falling again, a Budweiser truck became stuck on our icy street just in front of our house. It was pretty exciting, our street just doesn't get much excitement (that has to be a good thing...right?). The poor guys were stuck for about 45 minutes putting chains on and moving kegs of beer around. After all that, they still had to back a ways down the road to get some momentum. It was a white knuckle moment, the truck had gotten really close to the vehicles on the other side of the street. Those of us that were outside, clapped and cheered them on when they finally made it up the hill.

Annual Christmas Tree Hunt - 12/13/08

Where shall I start...it was such a fun day!!

This year, instead of going out for breakfast or meeting up at a parking lot, Luke and I invited our friends to our home for a big homestyle breakfast. It was so delicious.

Afterward, we caravaned out to Quilcene National Forest for our Christmas Trees. The weather was absolutely perfect. The sun was shining, there wasn't too much snow to get stuck in and everyone had a great time. I think this year's adventure was the best yet. It's become a tradition since we've moved to WA to hunt for our tree and this year's tree has been the best too.

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives. We always have a great time whenever we get together.

Here are some pictures of our day...

Traveling up one of the roads. Beautiful snow covered trees, it's so breathtaking.
In person, it makes you feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful area.

Barreling through heavy branches in our way up the path.
Now that Like has had his truck a while,
he's not as concerned with the paint job anymore.

A beautiful view from our first stop.
We stopped for a little while to play while the guys planned out our route.

Kaitelyn throwing snowballs, she had a blast playing with our friend Kyle's dog, "Toby".
I'll tell you a funny story about Toby, we needed a small bush cleared away to take a group picture.
So Kyle told Toby to clear this one bush away, and in no time at all, that bush was gone.
The roots and all. It was so funny to watch :-)

Baby Clara, isn't she angelic?
She is such a happy little girl, she smiles and giggles ALL the time.

Clara, Maddy, Kaitelyn, Allison and Me. Us girls posing for a group photo.
Oh yeah, can't forget "little man". He's growing so fast these days.

Us getting ready to head to a different road in pursuit of our tree.

Luke cutting down our perfect tree.

Oh yeah, Luke has a new buddy to enjoy 4x4ing with him. After we were all done getting our trees and playing, the guys pulled into their favorite area to spin donuts and climb a hill. Although the area didn't have much snow, the boys made the most of it. Kaitelyn absolutely LOVED IT! She kept asking daddy to do more spins and climb the hill. Poor Allison about wet her pants, I'm sure.

Here's video of one of the runs...

Pronunciation

So Monday, Luke was hanging out in the truck with Kaitelyn while I went inside Fred Meyer to pick up a Christmas present for Kaitelyn. While I was inside Kaitelyn was talking about a truck. Only when she was saying "Truck" it didn't come out or sound like "Truck". Let's just say...it's not a pleasant word. But I gotta say, it was so hilarious to hear her say it.

She's getting really good about describing things and putting her sentences together. It's so fun to hear her tell a story. She gets so excited sometimes that she will repeat a word or phrase a few times before she moves on.

Baby Bump - 31 weeks

So this is how I really feel


This is a fake smile, Luke told me I was looking too frumpy

Don't get me wrong, I'm so lucky to be able to conceive, carry and have a baby. But...right now I'm not feeling it. Although I'm only 31 weeks, I feel like I'm 40 weeks right now. My back, my ribs, my hips and my belly skin hurt constantly. Right now I'm so irritable, impatient and spacey. I feel bad for those around me right now, I'm just not feeling myself and cannot wait to feel normal again.

Since being back in Washington, I've started retaining water. I was looking down at my calves the other evening and thought they looked a bit bigger. Sure enough when I pressed on them, an indention formed. My feet are starting to feel like pins and needles in the evenings too. Ahhh...the fun stuff you forget about when nearing the end of a pregnancy. It's all only temporary and the rewards are so much more lasting and worth it.

I'm getting so nervous, so much needs to be done before the baby is here and I feel like crap. I really hope I can get some of this stuff done before his arrival.

I apologize if this post sounds negative, this is just me venting at the moment. I'm truly excited about baby #2 and cannot wait to meet him soon.

Sarah, this one is for you...

Mmmm.... Almond M&M's

I was very low on my stash so I HAD to pick more up yesterday :-D

Worms

Kaitelyn finds it fun to play with worms and snails these days. It's so fun to see her explore!

Today, Luke worked hard to clean up our yards and make the outside of our home less of an eyesore. It was really sad to come back home and see all the weeds. Anyway...Luke found a nice looking worm for Kaitelyn and gave it to her. She loved it, it kept her entertained for about an hour. She walked around with it, she talked to it, she studied it and she pushed it on her swing. Yep, she spent about 20-25 minutes pushing that worm on her swing. It was so cute, it had fallen off a few times, but she was so proud and picked it right back up.

Not long after I went back into the house, Kaitelyn decided to pull the poor worm apart. She went up to Luke and said, "Uh Ohh...fix it Daddy, fix it". So Luke fixed the worm alright, he just tossed one half of the worm and gave her the other half. She was content.

AHHH....THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Boy, I cannot believe how fast time flies when you're having fun. Kaitelyn and I have been home for almost a week and it just seems like we have only been here for a few days. Luke is finally on his way home, he was able to get on the road this morning. We are excited, we miss him!!

So anyways...Kaitelyn and I have been a little lost being home. We're trying to establish a routine, but it's been a little difficult. However, I've have had a chance to see almost all of my friends here and it's been a real treat. It's been an emotional roller coaster with the pregnancy hormones and just missing everyone but totally worth it.

I can't wait until Luke gets home to help get things setup and organized for the welcoming of our little man soon.
We will busy getting his room established and Kaitelyn's too, she needs a new bed.

I went to the doctor one last time in San Diego on the 17th. It was surprisingly a good appointment. The nurse that saw me remembered me from one of the first times I was in. She was very informative and didn't seem too rushed. She told me that I was measuring 2 weeks ahead. So right now, I am 30 weeks, but look and feel like I'm 32 weeks along. The past couple of weeks have become more challenging. Since this baby is sitting lower, my back hurts more, my hips are really sore and other areas too. This baby is a major kicker. There are times when his is moving and kicking and I just have to stop what I'm doing. It actually hurts at times.

I see my doctor on the 1st, so we will know soon when we will be having this baby. I'm hoping maybe on 1/19/09. The reason is, Kaitelyn was born 6/19 so I thought it would be cool if this baby had a similar date of 1/19. I'll keep you posted. Oh yeah...we haven't really picked out any boy names but we will be working on that soon too.

So Long San Diego...

Kaitelyn and I are heading back home today :-) Although, it's only be a little over 4 months that we have been in San Diego, it seems like we have been here all year long. I'm sad to be leaving a beautiful city full of things to do as a stay at home mom, but I definitely won't miss most of the people. I'm so excited to be finally be back in our home with our own furniture and belongings. Luke is staying in San Diego to finish out his job. We decided it would be easier if Kaitelyn and I flew home early and let Luke drive straight through to come home when it's time.

I'm so excited to be going home!!!

Veteran's Day

~Thank You Luke~

Thank you for your service, dedication, and sacrifices you have made for our country.

We are so lucky to have you in our lives.

Today, Luke was able to get off work early to enjoy the Veteran's Day Parade downtown with Kaitelyn and I.

This was my favorite piece from the parade. This group of Marines performed a re-enactment of the 6 men raising a flag pole during The Battle of Iwo Jima. It was really cool to watch.

Afterwards, we strolled around the Gaslamp Quarter and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. I enjoyed one of the yummiest BBQ pulled pork sandwiches ever, mmmm... my mouth is still watering over it.

So Cute

I love this picture. Kaitelyn doesn't pose for me very often, but she did at this moment and I love it. I have been busy packing and organizing our belongings as we are getting ready to go home really really soon. Kaitelyn was enjoying Dora on her portable DVD player and I had to get a picture.

Kaitelyn giving me her approval

"A,B,C,D,E,F,G"

That's what Kaitelyn said when I asked Luke last night if we wanted to ride the "T,R,A,I,N" today.

We went to the Zoo a couple of times this week and received some free tickets to ride the train in Balboa Park. Each time you recycle your Zoo park map, you are rewarded with free tickets to ride the train.

I thought it was super cute to hear Kaitelyn try to spell something out. We don't fool her everytime with the spelling though.

Oh Bummer!

So it has finally cooled down enough to want to venture to the San Diego Zoo. Out of all the days that I actually make plans to do this, IT'S RAINING. It's not just a little drizzle or shower. It's been raining for the past hour and it doesn't look like it's about to let up. I'm so bummed!! I guess we're off to the library instead.

Trick-or-Treating

So this was Kaitelyn's first year trick-or-treating. She had so much fun. We took her to Coronado Island where most of the businesses located on Orange Ave stood outside their doors and handed out treats to all of the little ones.

Kaitelyn was a real trooper, she walked the entire distance and made sure she was the one carrying her bag of treats. Although it became heavy and full, she would not let us help her carry it. I really enjoyed watching her excitement each time she was given a treat. She would over to me and say, "Look mama, I got 1 treat" or "Look mama...see". It was super duper cute :-)

Kaitelyn trying to hold on to her heavy bag of treats.

Kaitelyn's 1st Haircut

Yesterday, I took Kaitelyn to see the gal who does my hair in San Diego. I love how Antionette cuts and puts highlights in my hair. Some of Kaitelyn's ends were getting a bit straggly so I thought it was finally time. I was really nervous though, Kaitelyn has these cute curls and I didn't want her to lose them. It turns out, she still has some. We took about 1.5 inches off her length and "oh my" what a difference that made.

Although it was Kaitelyn's naptime, she did a great job sitting still, looking up and looking down for Antionette. I'm so proud of her.

BEFORE

AFTER

Kaitelyn not looking too sure about this

Baby Bump - 27 weeks

Ugh...I hate seeing pictures of myself while I'm preggers. But...I know some of you are curious as to how big the bump has gotten.

I had an appointment last week and all the doctor would tell me was that "You're measuring big, but since you're having a C-section it doesn't matter". Tell me how you'd feel after a doctor tells you that? I know I'm big, I know I have big babies, just tell me what I'm measuring. Geez Louise!! Anyway, can't wait to get back to Washington to see my real doc.

Legoland

Last weekend, we ventured up to Legoland for a day. It was their last weekend for the "Brick-or-Treat" for the little kiddo's. Kaitelyn was dressed up as a K-State fan :-)

Halloween is going to be really different for us this year. We plan to venture out to Coronado Island, the stores on Orange Ave will be handing out goodies for the little ones. It should be fun. We opted not to purchase a costume for Kaitelyn this year, instead she will be dressed in the Halloween outfit she wore at the pumpkin patch. I found a cute little scary cat bag for Kaitelyn's trick-or-treating experience. This will be Kaitelyn's first year really doing the walking and carrying her candy. In the past, we've only gone to our neighbors and that's about it.

I'm going to miss handing out treats to all of the little ghosts and goblins this year :-(

Visit to Kansas

A couple of weeks ago, Kaitelyn and I took a trip back to Kansas to visit family and friends. It was a fun getaway, so fun, that it has taken us more than a week to recuperate. We both came down with terrible colds a couple of days before we were to fly back to San Diego. I guess that's the risk you take when flying.

Anyway, I got to spend some quality time with my BFF Monica while I was in town. I was so sad to leave a week later. She's a great host! Our first day in town, we stopped and had lunch at this really cool place called "T-Rex". They have different lounge stations to sit and enjoy your meal with your kids. There's so much to see that Kaitelyn didn't want to sit still, she wanted to be all over looking at all of the neat dinosaurs. After our lunch, we stopped at their build-a-dinosaur shop and Kaitelyn built her first stuffed animal. His/Her name is "Purple" and Purple goes almost everywhere we go now.

Kaitelyn with Monica's two older children

Kaitelyn brushing and drying her "Purple"

We went to one of the parks in town and rode the 100 year old carousel. Both Kaitelyn and Taylor took their babies to enjoy the rides with them. We also rode the train around the park which was really cool. After the train ride, the conductor let each of the children who rode, pull the whistle. Since we were last in line, Kaitelyn got to pull the whistle a few times.

Kaitelyn and Taylor with their babies

Kaitelyn loves choo choo trains. This was such a treat for her.

Kaitelyn with Taylor, long distance buddies.

My BFF Monica, she's one of a kind and I love her for it.

This was a different day at the park, Kaitelyn really wanted to ride this pig.

Why... I don't know, it's scary looking, but she rode it twice that day.

On Saturday, we ventured out to the Chermak farm to see grandparents and extended Chermak family. It was a beautiful day. Luke's grandma (as always) had lunch ready and waiting for us right when we arrived. Kaitelyn had a blast hanging out with her cousins while us adults caught up on everything else. There were lots of grasshoppers out that day, so the kids enjoyed jumping, running and catching as many as they could. It was a really fun visit.

Our little farm girl

Kaitelyn hanging out with her 1st cousins and 1st cousins once removed.

Kaitelyn and Kaycee

Kaitelyn holding a grasshopper

It was a long day, I'm sure the grandparents
were glad to have their home back to themselves.

On our last day and before our flight, Monica and I took the little girls to one of Luke and I's favorite places to walk. It's the "Shunga Trail", a paved trail that runs throughout most of the city. It's really beautiful in a lot of areas especially on cool crisp autumn days. The girls enjoyed picking up leaves and letting them blow in the wind. I was so sad to leave that day, but glad to get back to S.D. I was tired of living out of bags for a week.

Aren't they cute?!?!