new bathroom!

Here's the status of our basement project. yes, we are 5 weeks from the arrival of this baby and we are still working on the basement! patience, right?...

I think it looks pretty dang good. :)

Top 5 reasons to love a winter pregnancy.

It's true that you have more skin surface to moisturize than you did at this time last year, but there's still plenty to embrace about being great with child in the cold months:

1. Risk of having to appear in public in a swimsuit almost zero.
2. Long, blustery nights to organize tiny bodysuits, surf the Web for nursery decor and doodle baby names while sipping hot cocoa.
3. Your personal 24/7 body warmer.
4. A free pass when it's time to shovel snow.
5. Warmer weather ahead for walking off the extra pounds of new motherhood.

fitpregnancy.com

6 weeks & counting!

6 weeks to go until we meet this little creation! I'm in week 34 right now.. this is what's going on:

The baby now weights almost 5 pounds, the weight of an average cantaloupe! It's almost 18 inches long. The fat layers, which will help regulate the body temperature once he or she is born, are filling the baby out, making it rounder. The skin is also smoother than ever. The central nervous system is maturing and the lungs are continuing to mature as well. If our baby were to make its appearance early, there shouldn't be any health problems at this point!

As for me.. sleeping is getting tougher. It's quite an effort to roll over or do much standing up and sitting down (I had abs at one point!) I feel like I'm waddling quite a bit and it's just tougher to really do anything. I had a wedding on Saturday and I have one more next weekend, then I can really just lay around and do nothing.. juuust kidding, I'll be walking, swimming, blah blah..

And it's baby shower time! For those who know me, you know that I kiiinda love parties. and presents. I know, it's bad, but these presents aren't for me, I just like opening them! I had one last week with the teachers and students from my school, that was really fun. Then, on Sunday, our friends the Lees and the Froehles had a couples shower for us. (or as Luke likes to call it, a man shower. I think I'll stick with couples shower). It was really fun and so special! Our friends Jeff and Tiffany gave a great devotional with some really good words of advice. To sum it up.. the rules of Poop Parenting: Patience, Obstacles, Obedience and Process. Thanks guys!

Here's some highlights of what we got..

I think Jenna is trying to say something...

no one told me..

Week 33 is here.. that means 7 more to go! 7?! That's not much.. that's 7 more date nights, right Luker?

Brad and Christy Gotto had their baby yesterday! He's precious.. baby Liam is here and Christy did so well! I'm so incredibly jealous that their baby is here, but it does make me that much more nervous for us to do this. Really... it's the greatest and most wonderful change, but it's a change! (I haven't decided how I feel about change, just ask my mother) It's crazy that we'll walk into that hospital just Luke & Kristen and walk out with Luke, Kristen + one! I'm thrilled... :)

So, this baby is growing and it really doesn't feel like it has much room to grow, but it will! This week the baby weighs a little over 4 pounds.. about the weight of a pineapple! It has passed the 17 inch mark in length. The baby is rapidly losing the wrinkled, alien look and the skeleton is hardening. The bones in the skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, making it easier for the baby to fit through the birth canal. (technical term..) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as its brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Our little one is kicking and punching and pushing all the time. I am now going to the doctor every two weeks.. last week the doctor felt around my belly and told me that the baby's head was facing down, which means those jabs to my ribs are its little feet.

This is new.. starting last week, I have been feeling a crazy, almost popping pain on my pelvic bones. ouch! It happened first when I was walking, but now it's more often, when I'm sitting as well. It's usually when the baby is moving around, pushing at those bones. I was a little freaked out because a couple times it almost made me buckle over. But I called my oh-so-smart sister in law, Lisa.. who told me this is normal, and it only gets worse. sweet. I can't complain too much, I have really loved being pregnant, so I will take these little pains over the great reward.

I had a shower this week, given by the teachers and students at my school! It was so fun and we got more great stuff! I'm feeling more ready! And no.. the baby room is not done.

oh, I'm officially waddling. don't make fun.

you people are confusing...

so baby...i thought i had a pretty good guess as to what gender you were. Solely based on all the little 'wives tales' you hear about (well...YOU don't hear about them, i do. Then again, you technically can hear them but lack the brain processing power to decipher what it means to you. this could keep going so i'll stop...) but now, your mom goes down to iowa and hangs out with all the 'hens' and she gets beaked at that you are the opposite of what i was thinking. and these hens are, for the most part, seasoned family moms with a bit of experience . So I'm a little taken back by all this. you've got me a quite a bit of a pickle. you don't know how tempted i have been to secretly find out what you are and keep that info from your mom. Note to Kristen: don't leave your doctors name and/or number out in the open without any supervision. you'll be very upset with the results that will come with that.

But either way, you're are going to be beautiful and amazing. and ive been feeling you kick a lot lately and it makes me supes excited.

-luke

32 weeks

8 weeks to go?!

Here's a picture update.. Kinda popped, huh? I think so at least!

sorry about the exposed belly momma.

baby room

dear baby, I promise we will have more of a room for you when you arrive. Not that you care.. or notice, but... I do, so there.

Here's what we have so far! It's pretty much just a painted room with a changing table. It's an office/baby room right now, if that combo exists. Here's a few of the things I got from the shower!

Oh, and I had a baby appointment today.. right on schedule! The baby's heartbeat is in the 140s. hmm...

nursery set up!

Ok, time to get serious here people. I'm nesting. And yes, that's a technical term. Our house is under construction, and that would stress out even a non pregnant person. We're trying to finish our basement, so we can move our office, so we can change the office into a baby room.. so we can move out. Makes sense.

We painted the baby room and as soon as we can, we'll get the crib and furniture set up. I'm excited! Here's my question.. has anybody seen a lamp similar to this one? The picture is below.. we want to find a decent price on a brown hanging lamp like this.



Just wanted to see if anyone was good at searching for cheaper lamps! This one is from the Land of Nod and is $89.. guess that's no too bad, but if any one sees another one, I'd love the advice!

Have a good Tuesday!

contractions

sooo.. I had my first contractions! (this is Kristen, of course) I was working out the other day, doing the biking/treadmill combo and I had to stop because every few minutes my whole stomach would tense up, I guess.. and become really hard. I have felt one part or one side of my belly get really hard and tense before, but that's just the baby kicking or doing something angry (that's what I feel like at least). This time, it was my whole stomach! so that was it! haha it's still funny to me how I have no idea what I'm doing. But this baby is coming someday!

I had my first shower yesterday! It was sooo fun! I am so stinkin blessed with such good friends down in Des Moines. My friends Julie and Angela put it together, and it was great to have a combination of old friends, family, friends from church that we're able to come. We got some really great stuff, I'm so excited!

It was fun to see friends down in Iowa, and it's crazy because they all say I'm having a girl! I guess the way I'm carrying the baby is part of it, but they were so convinced that they were calling her a she! I would be absolutely thrilled to have a girl, but it just made me realize that I really have been thinking boy this whole time so it got me excited about having a girl!? Maybe?

Either way, this is all so fun and I'm loving every minute of it! I'll get some pictures of the shower soon!

oh!

two things...

1. Today marks the 2 month point! 2 months until a sweet little something is here!

2. I had a dream last night that we had a boy! It was a beautiful little one! I remember looking at him thinking... woah, he's pretty (in a really manly sort of way). It was a wonderful dream, such a good feeling... until.. the baby turned into a lamb! I was holding a little lamb telling Luke, "shoot! we already have a dog! I wanted a human!" Dang.

So, either way.. something is coming in 2 months.

diaper bags.

As I've been learning, my shopping experiences have drastically changed. It's a good thing though. I went to the MOA with my sister and her friends the other day (that made me feel old..). I couldn't really shop, I can't fit in anything. I was more interested in the baby stores and maternity stores.

I never realized how much stuff this baby needs! When we registered, it was.. what brand and shape and style of bottles? what size and shape of pacifiers (can I call them pacifiers? We'll save that debate for another day). what brand of diapers and wipes? organic or regular onesies? choices!

The decision these days is diaper bags. I registered for one at Babies R Us.. pretty cute.





I have my sites set on another one, an expensive one. This is the Petunia Pickle Bottom, super chick, super handy bag that everyone seems to be talking about. Any thoughts? Practicality of these?





until next time.

I went swimming!

Happy New Years to everyone! 2010 is the year of our baby! Crazy! To think that we think we're young and we were born waaay back in 1984, that's so ancient.

We've arrived at week 31 and the baby is growing tons! It moves a lot and it's big movements.. my mom finally felt the kicking last night. We were in the car and it was kicking away.. she felt my belly, felt the little kicks and said, "you have a bunny in there!" there's an idea. This week, the baby is over 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 pounds. (pause. I have been hearing lots of stories lately and the premature babies that come out at 2 or 3 pounds. It's nuts to me to think that our little one could survive now! it's a real baby in there!) The baby can turn its head from side to side and its arms, legs and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates under the skin. cute.

Oh, so Luke and I went swimming at the YMCA the other day.. oooh that felt great. I was weightless.. well kinda. I felt like my old self! I could move and swim, I was loving it. I'm going to do that more often. I'm going tomorrow with my friend Christy who is going to have her sweet baby boy any day! Should be fun :)

Here's of pic of my dear friend Julie. She's cute. We need to try to be pregnant together sometime, k Julie?

P.S. Where's Luke these days? We need a male voice to chime in.