Colorado Baby Shower

This past weekend Kyle and I traveled to Colorado to see my family. My sister threw me a baby shower with the help of my mom, grandma, and other sister. The shower was great fun. We ate, prayed, and did crafts...three of my favorite things :) We were blessed with many practical, fun, adorable, and thoughtful gifts. Here are some shots from the shower (thanks to Aunt Jodi for capturing the event).

Enjoying the company

Christina (the hostess) & Noah (the nephew)

Aunt Wendy & Noah

Dee Dee & Carisa

Carisa sharing words of wisdom

Opening adorable outfits

Listening to advice from Tache

Showing off the cutest shoes

Opening the bedding (which I love!)

Tache, Me, and Mom

Kate & Wendy taking a break from making onesies

Elyze working hard on her onesie.

Diligently crafting

Everyone with their final product. I love them and I can't wait for LG to wear them!

Thanks to Christina for all her hard work. The shower was great! And thanks to everyone who attended! It was so nice to see everyone, hear all of your insightful words, and share in the creation of LG's wardrobe :)

I have the best husband!

And here's some proof...

I'm in grad school and I do a lot of studying. I often study at Kyle's office because it's quite and it allows Kyle to have free roam of the house. So, this past Sunday I ventured to his office in an attempt to study. Several hours into my study session I looked down and there was a mouse on the floor just staring at me! Naturally, I screamed. But it continued to just sit there. Finally I decided my only defense was to keep screaming in the hopes it would run away. Eventually it scampered off behind the refrigerator.

Now, for some people this may not seem like a big deal, but if you know me well you know I do not appreciate furry animals. Give me a snake or a bug and I'm fine, but furry critters just freak me out. So, I stood there motionless just waiting for it to make another appearance while I frantically called Kyle. He quickly came to my rescue. I'm pretty sure he made it from our house to his office in about 2 minutes. I left the office to continue my studies elsewhere and he took care of the mouse situation.


Now, fast forward to Wednesday evening, the night before my big comprehensive economics final. I built up the courage to return to his office to study. About 9:00 I look over my right shoulder and there's another mouse! I can't believe it I've been studying there for 11 months and I've never seen a mouse and now I have my 2nd spotting in less than a week! Anyway, this time I tried to compose myself. The mouse was eating the poison, so I figured it would soon cease to exist and I would just wait it out. Well, this must have been super mouse because it kept coming back for more. I think it probably had 5 or 6 servings of poison and he didn't seem to be phased by my presence. Kyle was at Bibly study, so I was in a conundrum. I decided texting him was my best option. After my 2nd text he responded and promptly left when Bible study was over to come rescue his wife. By this time I decided I needed to leave and study elsewhere. He went to the office, but of course there was no mouse to be found. So, at this point I'm in tears because I am nervous, stressed, and frantic about the test and the mouse that is still lurking in his office.


Kyle being the best husband ever volunteers to wake up at 5:00 am to accompany me to his office and sit there for 2 hours while I take my test! And he didn't complain once! Yes, I may be a little irrational, but hey I'm pregnant, stressed, and I really hate mice.


So, after all that drama I've concluded I have the best husband ever and I haven't even mentioned how he cooks, cleans, and does laundry...but that's for another post.

31 weeks

He's approximately 16 inches long and weighs over 3 pounds (which is approximately like carrying around 4 navel oranges). These are his stats taken from Babycenter.com...but really who works to figure this whole baby vs. fruit thing? Kind of strange.

How far along: 31 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 18 lb.
Maternity Clothes: Yes, most of the time
Sleep: great, when I actually get a chance to go to sleep
Best moment of the week: Completing a comprehensive final, now I can focus on the baby and the holidays
Movement: yes, except when Daddy tries to feel him (I can tell he's either going to be ornery or a mama's boy :), also for the first time this week he kicked so hard it hurt my stomach
Food Cravings: not really, pretty sure my stomach is being compressed because I'm not as hungry
Belly button in or out: in, it's still holding on...wonder when it will pop?
What I miss: sleeping on my stomach, being able to pick-up stuff off the floor easily
What I'm looking forward to: Going to CO today!
Milestones: Reaching the 2 month countdown

The Dr. appointment went well. My weight gain and blood pressure were good. His heart rate was good. Nothing new to report...just plugging along.

Sorry, no baby or belly pictures. See the post below for the most recent pic.

This is for...

Candace. My sister-in-law has requested another belly shot. This picture isn't a true belly shot (30 weeks), but hopefully it will suffice. I actually took it to see how my new hair cut/color looked.

I go to the doctor later this week, so there will be a pregnancy update once I know more info.

Sterling 0 Bethel 30

Yes, that is the correct score! Not exactly how we were expecting to end the season, considering we should have beat them. It was a very ugly game, so I won't go into details. Suffice it to say our worst loss of the season came from a team that had only won 2 games all year.

On a more positive note, the season is officially over! Normally, this is a momentous day, which signals the time of year that I once again get to see my husband at least once a day...but with my school work I'm actually gone more evenings than he his...so I guess we'll fully celebrate more time together when my semester is over (only one more month).

In the midst of studying for a comprehensive final and another test I decided in honor of my birthday I would cease doing school work for one day! It was a nice reprieve... my husband made me chocolate chip pancakes in bed. Then we opened a few presents. He had to leave by 8:00 am for the game, but I spent the morning crafting. Then I went to the game (why do we always have to lose when my birthday falls on a football game?). After returning from the game Kyle took me on a date to celebrate my birthday and the end of football season.

Sylvia, Aly, and me w/ the pictures they drew me for my birthday.

Aly acting very silly (this picture may come back to haunt her someday :)

Culley trying not to watch the game.

Ashley & Sylvia trying to stay warm.

We Have A Name...

But we're not telling. Sorry, that was really mean. But I am very excited to have a #1 name picked out and a #2 just in case we change our minds.

Since we're not revealing the name until he makes his arrival family and friends have taken it upon themselves to make suggestions. Here's a compilation of the "best" name suggestions we have received thus far.

Top 10 list:

1. Bernard
2. Earl
3. Rashard
4. Oscar
5. Sylvester
6. Terrence
7. Quantavius
8. Claude
9. Monet
10. And my favorite thus far: Powhattan!

It's Finally Done...

Remember this post? Well, the project is finally done and I'm afraid no one was correct with their guess...It's a ring sling. It's similar to the Maya Wrap. I can't wait to use it with the baby. Hopefully it will provide some hands free cuddling when I have to do homework. I can't wait to wear it!

I haven't actually had the opportunity to wear it, but I can say it was easy to make. The most difficult part was working with such a large amount of fabric, but once it was

all cut it was very easy to put together.

Yay, so excited!

Sterling 26 St. Mary's 14

Today was senior day and the Warrior's last home game of the season. It was a pretty exciting game, which is fun when you're watching football on tv, but not so fun when you're biting your nails and hoping the team can pull out a win because the success of the rest of your evening depends on it :)

I can't believe the season is almost over...it has gone so quickly, which is such a blessing because it's not like that every season. We are so blessed to be in a football program that puts Christ and families before football. It makes football season so much easier and more enjoyable!

Kyle & 1 of his senior linebackers

Kyle w/ all 3 of his senior linebackers

The whole senior class

29 weeks

How far along: 29 weeks (well 28 weeks and 6 days to be exact)

Total weight gain/loss: 16 pounds

Maternity clothes: almost exclusively

Sleep: great, unless I get a leg cramp then neither of us sleeps well :)

Best moment this week: talking to work about a part-time schedule after my maternity leave, they were very supportive and flexible, PTL

Movement: yes, some days more than others

Food cravings: not really

Belly button in or out: in, but I'm definitely seeing skin I've never seen before

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach

What I'm looking forward to: The holidays and baby showers that are just around the corner. It will be fun to see lots of family and friends in the coming weeks.

Milestones: reaching the 3rd trimester

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Thankfully it was pretty uneventful baby wise. His heartbeat is always consistent in the 150's and I'm measuring right on, so we know he is growing well. However, today was probably my least favorite doctor's appointment thus far. I received the swine flu shot and had to have my blood drawn (2 of my least favorite things ever). Thankfully, Kyle came with me to take care of me (i.e. divert my attention during the blood draw) and everything went pretty smoothly. It was also the appointment for diabetes testing and surprisingly the dreaded glucose drink was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. It was fruit punch flavored and it actually tasted pretty good.

Today was also the day it hit me...the nurse started asking me all these questions like: do you want an epidural, do you have a pediatrician, etc. At first I just gave her a blank stare and that's when it hit me, IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THIS BABY TO ARRIVE. The questions didn't even phase Kyle, but the rest of the appointment I just sat there dumbstruck with the realization that the time is drawing near. We also scheduled the rest of the doctor's appointments with the last one being the day before my due date!!! This is all very exciting, but in the moment I was pretty much freaking out.

Happy Birthday!

Today is our niece Gracie's 1st birthday.

Gracie,

Uncle Kyle and I wish you the best 1st birthday ever. Remind your mom and dad you're the princess and should be treated accordingly :) We wish we could be there to celebrate with you, but since we can't make it be sure and eat a piece of cake for us. Also, please remind your mom to post pictures of your adorableness.

Love, Auntie Kristen

Gracie,

Happy birthday! I know how cute and smart you are so you must take after me. We can't wait to see you over Thanksgiving. You will get a very special birthday present from us when you visit. You will be the first one to know your new cousin's name (but you can't tell your parents). Have a great day we love you!

Uncle Kyle

Quick Weekend Recap

Sorry, this post is sans pictures or anything else exciting. My camera seems to be MIA. So, here's a bullet list of our weekend activities.

• Friday night: Kyle and I jointly worked on an art project for the nursery. Pictures will be forthcoming (once the camera is located). Betcha never knew Kyle was a crafty kind of guy :)
• Saturday: Went to the big city to run some errands, took my dad out for lunch for his birthday, went to a football game, went grocery shopping, drove home and collapsed on the couch. We were poor sports, we didn't even turn on the light for trick-or-treaters. I forgot to buy candy, so our house would have been a bust anyway. Sterling beat Bethany 35-2. Strange game our 2nd string quarterback, who became our 1st string quarterback last week, was injured. So, our original 1st string quarterback came back. The offense played hard despite all the injuries. The defense had several turnovers and goal line stands. Which was great, but Bethany probably shouldn't have made it to the red zone so often. At half the score was 7-0 Sterling's lead thanks to an interception return for a touchdown. Then the offense gave them a safety, which effectively negated the shutout. But all in all the Warriors dominated and pulled out a win. Sorry if that didn't make any sense, like I said it was a strange game.
• Sunday: Church, homework, cleaning, Amazing Race, a short nap

I have so many things I want to show you including a baby project I finally finished and my expanding abdomen at 28 weeks but I will have to leave you all in suspense until I can find my camera.

I will leave you with this picture taken last week. We went to a wedding reception for Kyle's cousin/friend. There were three pregnant ladies there (me and 2 of Kyle's cousins) and we are all due within 1 week of each other.

Tia, Me, Jennifer