29 weeks

Another week passed and I missed the 28 week update. Oops. Sorry.

The good news is that we are making some super-duper progress on Baby K's nursery. The trim and walls are painted and complete, we are just working on the accent wall. We hope to finish it up this weekend.

Brian loves taking these kind of pics.

The color on the wall looks gray in this photo, but I promise it's not. It's a muted blue. Brian thought it would come out looking gray, but he confirmed that I was right with the paint choice this time!

The furniture has also arrived, but is still sitting in the garage. I can't wait to see Brian put the crib together! He's pretty handy, but let's hope for an easy-peasy process. He had some struggles collapsing an exer-saucer we purchased from Heather's co-worker. I think every cuss word in the book was used before he finally figured it out. 

Another thing we have been tackling is trying to find daycare for our sweet little man. It is much harder than I thought it would be. If you want your child in the best daycare centers, simply sign up for another hefty monthly mortgage payment. Seriously, these centers charge $1,200 - 1,400 per month. It's just crazy.

Ok, how about a 29-week bump update?

How far along: 29 weeks
Size of Baby K: I'm now convinced this has been off all along. According to babycenter.com, Baby K is 15 inches long and 2.5 pounds. But according to the sonogram I had yesterday at my appointment, he is more than 3 pounds. Probably explains why he is in the 70% percentile. The technician said this was a nice size!
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): Butternut Squash.
Total weight gain: 24 pounds, yikes. I think the average is 25-35 pounds. Hoping it slows down some:)
Sleep: Last night = horrible. Woke up at 2:30 to pee and couldn't get back to sleep until 4:30. Oh and the back pain is back, boo.
Movement: I'm his punching bag and I'm perfectly ok with that. I love feeling him move around in there so much.
Unglamorous body changes: Same as before, but bending over is harder than ever. It's even hard to get up off the floor from sorting laundry or putting on tennis shoes.
Food cravings: This past week was Chicken salad sandwiches (had one 3 different times for lunch) and sweets! Thanks to the baby shower and wedding I attended this past weekend.
What I miss: Cute clothes that make you feel sexy and being able to wear heels without your feet feeling like they were put through a meat grinder.
Strange experiences: All the lovely comments I have received lately from people including strangers. Post to come about this!
Milestones: His muscles and lungs are maturing and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain.
Best moment this week: Finding out that he has hair! The sonogram tech pointed it out to us. I was balled until I was one, so I am really hoping for Baby K to have hair still when I deliver:).

Twin Cities Road Trip

Watch out folks, I've posted the past three days consecutively. What is going on!?

Beats me.

This post is WAY over due, but it was too fun of a trip to just forget about.

Brian's best friend Sterling and his wife Jen have lived in three different cities since college. First in NY, then in Chicago and now Minneapolis. Every time they have moved, we have promised to go visit, but it just never happened.

Well, we finally made the trip! We road tripped it with friends Nate and Lindsay. I was a little worried about the car ride considering my 4-week stint of traveling out-of-town and my brutal back pain, but it actually wasn't that bad. Frequent stops for the bathroom, ICEEs and McDonald's chicken McNuggets (love their new dipping sauces) made it more tolerable:).

Say hello to what we pretty much did the entire time:

I didn't get to consume any Coors Lights (CLs), but me and Baby K enjoyed lounging around in a raft.

The heat was a little more intense than you'd expect from up north, but the evenings were SO nice. Especially since it was 100+ degrees back in KC.

Our entire 3-day trip consisted of the following:

• Lounging at Lake Minnetonka
• Catching up with great friends
• Blasting the "Gangster's Paradise" Pandora station on the lake and getting stares
• Lots of eating (Had the best pancakes I've ever had, seriously.)
• Watching fireworks from the rooftop amidst the Minneapolis skyline
• Relaxation, relaxation, relaxation

Sterling had an obsession with hanging the America flag from the boat. Jen kept taking it down because it added to the WT. Sterling also has a way of trying to embarrass his wife:)

Brian almost lost those sunglasses from Nate flipping him off a raft, but somehow they found them in the murky lake water. Lucky SOBs.

Photo: Top right

"C" is for CL. They kept begging for us to throw them beers, but they could barely stay on the tube when the boat wasn't moving.

I apologize for my ta-tas. This was prior to me getting new bras. Please scroll fast.

Fireworks on the condo rooftop before it rained on us

It was honestly one of the best trips we could have taken with me being pregnant. Not gonna lie, I was exhausted, but we had a blast.

So long Twin Minnnnn-e-sooooota! Until next time!

Kidnapped

I failed to mention in my last post that we Brian accomplished absolutely nothing yesterday. To be exact, he sat on the couch ALL day long and did nothing but think about how crappy he felt.

Why do you ask? Well, because he got "kidnapped" by his guy friends Saturday night.

Two of the guys are soon-to-be dads, so they came up with the brilliant idea to have a "kidnapping." Brian thought we were going to the Reichles for a BBQ and needed to head over early to help Cole move the new grill up onto the raised deck. Little did he know that he was about to hit the town sporting this t-shirt:

I'm not sure where Cole found this image and who worked their photoshop magic, but I about died laughing when he sent this to me. Our friend Ryan is on the left who is having a girl in September. My Better Half is on the right. I love his little red leather jacket!

I hear the boys had a blast. They even received shot glasses that looked like bottles from our friend Josh to take shots out of.  (This was before they busted out the t-shirts.)

Just what these almost 30-year old boys need.

From the way Brian looked all day Sunday, I think he could have done without the shots!

Me and some of the girls decided to have our own crazy party and go out to dinner at Yardhouse. And Ado and I devised a plan to have a post-pregnancy Girls Night. Don't worry boys, you don't get to have all the fun. Party planning is already in progress.

Brian was super surprised and extremely flattered by everyone that made it out. I have a feeling this will become a tradition any time there is a soon-to-be dad in the group.

To sum up just how good his night was, I'll let y'all know that I received a picture from him about 11:00 pm with the subject line, "Baby Daddy."

It's certainly one I will frame and include in the nursery. Baby K will be so proud.

27 Weeks: Nursery Planning & New Ride

Hi friends!

I rolled over the 27 week mark this past week and am only three days shy of moving into the third trimester. Yikes! Boy, do I feel so behind. We are definitely making progress with the baby's room and getting prepared, but everything seems to take much longer than expected.

We have finally applied a coat of primer to the room (bye bye fugly lime green) and painted the trim white. Woohoo! It's one big white box as of now, but will soon be transformed into a cute, yet classy (hopefully!) nursery for Baby K. We are ready for paint, just struggling a bit with paint colors/ideas. The furniture comes Friday, so let's keep our fingers crossed that we get a whole lot done this week. Here's our thoughts as of today. Yes, it changes daily:)

I hope to have a mini-reveal soon.

Speaking of mini...we got a new family vehicle! Introducing our new ride:

A mini van!!

Ok, just kidding. We didn't get a minivan, but I will say that they are super functional and definitely made for having a family. I've made a road trip in the Greens', and they are quite comfortable.

Rather, we picked up a Toyota Highlander. It was only a matter of time before the Mazda had to go. Brian loved this car, but it is much too small for a baby and all their gear.

Bye bye Mazda. Brian was pretty sad, but he's pretty excited about our new family car.

So spacious! Now, when we travel, I don't have to worry about Jakey Boy trampling Baby K in the back seat. Jake can have the third row all to himself!

I didn't like the whole "buying a car" process and how long it took last weekend, but we are both in love. And...we sold Brian's car in three days on Craigs List. Yes, three days. I'm a pretty happy lady. I semi-pushed for us to do a trade in, because I was so nervous we weren't going to be able to sell it quickly on our own. However, Brian ensured me it would happen. Sure enough, a 16 year-old girl from Branson. MO, now drives it. 

Time for an update on the protruding belly and Baby K.

How far along: 27 weeks
Size of Baby K: 14.5 inches long, almost 2 pounds
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): Head of cauliflower. (What!? Some of these are weird!)
Total weight gain: Still don't know...probably 20 pounds. Doc appt next week.
Sleep: Seems to be better lately, back pain isn't as bad as it was surprisingly
Movement: I think we might have a future soccer player. Or just a little man who can kick some ass.
Unglamorous body changes: Ready for some honesty? Gas! Yep, major symptom of pregnancy. Pretty much sucks.
Food cravings: This week was Thai food for some reason. Had it twice. Yummy.
What I miss: Sipping on a glass of wine on the back deck
Strange experiences: Having bigger boobs! I was the girl who was called "Kansas" in middle school because I had no hills, so this change is weird for me. I finally bit the bullet and had to go buy new bras. Why? Because my normal ones have too much lift/under pad and were making me look like a pregnant chick that was trying to flaunt her ta-tas.
Milestones: He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes and sucking his fingers!
Best moment this week: Planning the nursery

26 Weeks

Another week down and another week closer to the third trimester! Only two more weeks. Can you believe it? I seriously feel like just yesterday I was living the easy life with no worries.

These days, my mind is consumed with daycare, child birthing classes and what brand of bottles to register for. Boy has life changed for me.

We accomplished a lot this past weekend on the baby front. We started cleaning out the baby's room (currently an office), started registering, and purchased baby furniture! I have no idea where we are going to put all this crap and make room for all the baby stuff, but I'm taking it one day at a time. Who knew that a tiny little person needs so many accessories? A swing, a bouncer, an exer-saucer, a jumping swing...the list goes on and on.

This is the future room of Baby K. Don't worry, we will be saying buh-bye to that horrible lime green. This was the color the previous owners had it...it's quite fugly in its current state, but was actually quite cute for their little girl. They had it accented with pink.  

 Most of the crap that was in the closet. It was definitely our "junk closet." Some of our finds were quite interesting, including:

• A DU composite from 2000 (I laughed at how much hair Brian and all his friends had back then! Ha!)
• The x-ray from Brian's skiing injury in Colorado
• Old College binders, files, folders and projects (Hello...Media Planning proposal, why did I keep you?)
• A Cox cable connector box from my apartment in Manhattan
• Ten baskets (Why do I keep everything?)
• Our Unity Candle from our wedding
• A caricature drawing of Brian and I
• A cork board of college pics that hung in my college house on Bertrand
• A travel bag that had sand lingering at the bottom

And we had to say goodbye to that office furniture. Sold it for some much needed moo-lah!

Now for a prego update!

How far along: 26 weeks
Size of Baby K: 14 inches, a pound and two thirds  (he's growing like crazy!)
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): English Hothouse Cucumber
Total weight gain: Not sure...and I'm not sure I want to know:)
Sleep: Still just middle of the road. It's definitely better when your husband doesn't wake you up after coming home after midnight from work happy hours.
Movement: Still very active. My favorite is when you can see him move from just looking at my belly.
Unglamorous body changes: Growing outwards, swollen hands (my ring is fitting more snug)
Food cravings: Still anything cold! Watermelon, I can't get enough. And for some strange reason Caesar salads.
What I miss: Summer Shandy
Strange experiences: Got sick exactly one week ago 15 minutes after going to bed. It was odd, however, I have had other strange vomiting experiences since the sickness has passed. One time, about 6 weeks ago, I had to run out of Nebraska Furniture Mart to throw up in a bush. No lie.
Milestones: His testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum -- a trip that will take about two to three days. How's that for a milestone!?
Best moment this week: Purchasing baby furniture and registering!

Holla's Last Hoorah

A few weeks ago, we made the trip to Tulsa for Katie's Bachelorette Party. It was a short trip, but well worth it.

Not gonna lie, the drive there is pretty boring and somewhat lengthy, but don't worry...we rocked the Greens' new minivan! Yeah-ya! I was pretty intrigued by all the gadgets and hidden features.

We started off the afternoon enjoying the god-awful pleasant Oklahoma sunshine. It was hot and we were sweaty, but we made it work.

And when you're not feeling it outside, just move the party inside. Beer pong with water anyone? That was this girl right here. I was well hydrated for the big night. Katie's kitchen island is the perfect beer pong set up.

The group minus the moms. Well, me and walker are mama's, but let's not go there just yet.

 

Some of Katie's fun gifts. I hope Barry and her have fun with their toys. Ha!

Dinner in Tulsa and then a night out on the town.

At a club called Ivey -- a club trying to be swanky and Vegas-like, but I give them a C. Well, an A for their motivation and dedication to getting bachelorette's to doing body shots, but a C for the rest.

Katie workin' the pole below at Pink. This club was interesting. I saw more butt cheeks and va-jay-jay's than I typically prefer. I can normally handle a few...say the kind you might come across in classy P&L, but this club took it to extremes. Rather, the girls on the poles took it there. Picture this, trashy girl with wack-job haircut (all sweaty because she had been up there so long) sporting a jean skirt (who seriously still wears those?) and a white thong.  Her motto: Leave nothing to the imagination.

For some reason, every guido-type juice head wanted to dance with us. Even the local brothers hit us up. They asked Katie if I would dance with them...I was like, "do you not see this thing growing from my belly!? No thank you!"  

Mama's can still have fun and stay up past midnight:)

Cheers!

 

I absolutely love this picture of Katie and her momma. Can you see the resemblance? So sweet! Katie kept trying to get her mom to drink all night:).

The girls ended the night at the casinos while Megan and I headed back to Katie's. It was just a little too smokey in the casino for Baby K.

Congrats to Katie (who's actually already Mrs. Ruddick!). Post on her wedding coming soon!

Prego Update (Finally!): 25 weeks

Well friends, it has been almost a month since I last blogged. Sigh.

What have I turned into!? I really never thought this blog would fall so flat, but let me give you a little insight as to what my life has been like lately.

Yes, I'm pregnant and tired, and I complain about me feet and my back (did I mention how hot it is outside, holy smokes), but to be completely honest, this blog doesn't suck due to baby Kutter. Well maybe just a little.

We have traveled somewhere every weekend in July. Yep, four weekends in a row for me. And three of those include long nights staying up past 1:00 AM. Watch out folks, this lady is looking for some props! Or just a cookie. I really like cookies these days. And ice cream. Or both, mixed together. Blizzard, anyone?

If you ask me, I'm a pretty active prego chick. I have all kinds of fun trips and adventures with friends to tell you about (with tons of pictures). But really, I haven't had one minute to even think about blogging. However, my counterpart at work gets back next week! Can I get an All-eh-freakin-lu-ya? OMG, I am so pumped to not have to work so many hours.

I am now 25 weeks pregnant and boy do I have a baby bump. I swear it showed up over night. Even a guy at work said "Man, you are really starting to look pregnant!" I replied with a sarcastic, "Why Thank you." He then proceeded to say he didn't notice it much until now. Well thank you coworker, thank you for pointing out the obvious fact that I have a baby growing inside of me and it's only going to get bigger. Have you seen how tall my husband is? I swear, if this kid is more than 9 pounds, I might have a heart attack. Don't get me wrong, I want a healthy baby boy, but I'd prefer he stay under 8 pounds. My goods will appreciate it:).

In other news, I got a promotion at work. Wahoo! I am now big timin' it with a senior in front of my previous title. My responsibilities haven't changed one bit, but I'm a happy camper.

So, a good friend of mine pointed out one of her friend's blogs to me: It's called Cubbies and Nooks. She is prego and blogs about her experiences in the most hilarious ways possible. I literally almost peed myself when she started using words such as dookie and miracle shit and provided funny illustrations with her posts. I wish I was that funny. Check it out if you want a good laugh.

Well after reading some of her posts, it made me realize just how sucky I have been with this blog and documenting this beautiful time in my life. I know I will want to go back someday and read all about my glamorous experience:). Right?

Anyways, she inspired me to write more about how I'm feeling and what's going on with all these crazy changes, so I have stolen her nifty idea of prego tidbits and slightly altered it. I plan to do this weekly from now until baby comes. It's a goal people, so don't get your hopes up!

This week you get 2 updates because I am very behind: 23 and 25 weeks

How far along: 23 weeks
Size of Baby K: 11 inches, just a little over 1 pound
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): Mango
Total weight gain: I had gained 10 pounds at 21 weeks so maybe 12? We don't have a scale at home, so this will be hard for me to keep track of accurately.
Sleep: OK. Not great. Back pain sucks. And I wake up 2-3 times a night to pee.
Movement: A few flutters, but no kicks:(
Unglamorous body changes: getting bigger of course, almost non-existent belly button (not an outty yet), darker veins
Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary. Ice cream, pickles, anything cold. The weird thing is...before pregnancy, I didn't like ice in my water or beverages. Now, I can't get enough of it.
What I miss: My daily cup of coffee. I still have it a couple times a week, but not every day.
Strange experiences: Brushing my teeth makes me gag. This started very early on when I was really sick and has since continued. I wonder if it will ever go back to normal post pregnancy?
Milestones: Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds his keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now - such as Jake barking or the vacuum won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.
Best moment this week: Started really thinking about the nursery and getting excited for the planning. We are SO behind, but will soon enough have a nursery.

How far along: 25 weeks
Size of Baby K: 13 1/2 inches, a pound a half
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): Rutabaga. Go ahead, click the link. I didn't know what this was either:).
Total weight gain: I had a doc appt this week, so this is accurate! 14 pounds.
Sleep: Still pretty mediocre. Thinking I might need to see a chiropractor.
Movement: YES! Kicks galore! And ones you can see. What a surreal experience.
Unglamorous body changes: The obvious - getting bigger, starting to not see my feet, thicker hair (even my hair stylist noticed)
Food cravings: Icee's from gas stations. Love them. Probably because of the coldness.
What I miss: Being able to wear whatever I want. My wardrobe choices are slowly diminishing to fewer and fewer choices. Boo.
Strange experiences: Hot feet. Brian calls them my "heaters". I can't sleep with my feet under the covers, so they hang out over the side of the bed. I have even had Brian put bags of frozen vegetables on them. It's pretty much heaven.
Milestones: His wrinkled skin is beginning to smooth out and he's starting to look more like an actual newborn baby. He's also growing more hair - if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.
Best moment this week: Seeing Brian's excitement when he felt Baby K kick for the first time.

You might be wondering why I look like absolute crap in the above photo. Well, it's because I had the worst experiences with air conditioning yesterday. At the doctor's office, the power had went out --- so no AC. I was absolutely miserable for an hour straight. Then, I had to stop by Hobby Lobby on my way home and it seemed that the AC wasn't on. I was sweating bullets. I asked the cashier what was going on and she replied, "Yeah, we haven't had AC for 3 weeks." What!? That's insane! It was 110 degrees yesterday! So, I was forced to shower right when I got home. I felt disgusting.

More posts to come on our recent adventures. Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week!