November 30, 2011

Meet Big Boy

He's here. Our little angel.

The baby we've anticipated arriving for what seems like an eternity.

We've spent months preparing for this moment, the moment we would become parents

The moment our lives would forever change.

I'm a mom. 

It's so surreal saying that...and feeling that. I'm somebody's mom. 

I didn't know how it would feel, until now. 

I'm a mommy to the most perfect sweet boy in the world. We are completely smitten and so in love.


We were welcomed by our boy on Thanksgiving Day. Truly a blessing.

A day we will always remember and celebrate.

A turkey baby.

Carson Louis Kutter
November 24, 2011
4:06 pm
9 pounds 5 ounces
20.5 inches
Shawnee Mission Medical Center



We had no idea how big he was. Our once called "Little Man," now referred to as "Big Boy."

The most precious big boy we have ever been so blessed to call ours.

Carson's Birth story:
The day you were born. A day that deserves ten thousand words.

I will write about it here, and cherish the details, and probably embarrass you with it someday. 
But I want you to know, I will remember this day forever.

It was November 16, my due date, and we had an option to induce tomorrow. 

It was scheduled, marked on the calendar and we were ready to welcome you. We were so eager to meet you, and hold you, and snuggle you. 

Then, I got cold feet.  I asked myself:
What if it's not time? Am I rushing him? Should I let him come when he is ready? 

So we decided to let you stay cozy and not rush it, and scheduled a second induction date for the day after Thanksgiving if you weren't to arrive by then. 

Call it mother's instinct, but I just knew you would come when you were ready. 

It was a very normal Wednesday (November 23), the day before the induction. It was a week past your due date. I had the day off, already in preparation of your arrival. And the arrival of all the family. Because the next day was Thanksgiving, and we had planned to feast before we welcomed you into the world.

 I nested like any other soon-to-be mom. Folding little onesies, organizing your closet, making sure your piggy bank was perfectly placed on the window sill in your room.

The room we would soon bring you home to.

Daddy got home around 6:00 and we sat down with a bowl of spicy taco soup around 7:30 joking with each other, "maybe he'll come tonight".

Half way through the spicy soup, I started having contractions. The same ones I had felt a few days before, but then they stopped. These felt the same so I thought nothing of it. 

A few hours later, the contractions were still there and becoming stronger...and closer together.

We still didn't believe it was time. We were so unsure after everything we had learned in our childbirth classes. I didn't want to rush to the hospital and get sent home. 

So we waited.

I took a bath, timed the contractions, and made sure our bags were ready...just in case it really was the real thing. Daddy napped on the couch with Jakey. 

At midnight, I woke Daddy up telling him we needed to think about heading to the hospital. The contractions had been present for 4.5 hours and they were getting painful. They were still a little inconsistent, but I was scared of waiting too long.

We made our way into the hospital hoping it was time. Time to meet you.

 We checked in, got settled into a room, and they checked my progress. I'll never forget when the nurse said I was dilated to a three and that we headed to the hospital at a good time.

What!? We're staying? I'm going to have my baby?

Complete joy flooded our hearts. 

From there, everything seemingly was progressing quickly. The contractions were getting painful so I got the epidural at 5.5 cm and my water broke on its own at six. We made phone calls and sent texts, and tried to contain our excitement.

We were going to become parents today.

  All of a sudden, the progression stalled. I was at 7 cm, and things weren't progressing. We waited and waited and waited for things to happen.

Waiting for you to make your way down.

We tried to sleep, but were way too anxious. I couldn't stop thinking about what we were about to experience. I so badly anticipated the moment they would lay you on my chest once you arrived. 

The moment I would be forever changed.

 After 16 hours of labor, the doctor broke the news. You were sunny side up causing extreme back labor, and the contractions were not strong enough to push you down into the birth canal. 

C-section would be the best option to bring you into the world.

I cried and cried and cried. I don't know why I was so upset, I just was. We had already worked so hard. 

You and me. Together. 

For nothing it felt. 

My heart yearned for that mother-baby moment I wasn't going to have.
 No pushing. No work. No sideline encouragement from Dad.

I wasn't going to experience that special time with you on my chest. 

My heart sank. Until your daddy made me realize what was really important. 
Preparing for you. 
It wasn't going to happen how we envisioned it, but at that moment, we knew we would hold you soon.

 I'll never forget seeing you held up over that curtain.

When Dr. Geidt shouted, "Oh Krista, he's beautiful! Such a big boy! Look at those cheeks!"


Daddy held my hand tightly and we cried together. Tears of happiness. A feeling we had never experienced before.

And when your Daddy brought you over to me. We cried some more.

That moment, my sweet baby, I will never forget.


I will take time to cherish all the little things...the sweet noises you make, the many facial expressions you already have, your beautiful blue eyes looking up at me, your chubby cheeks and the way you wrap your long finger around mine.

And your yawns. And your big brother's reaction to your yawns.

What makes me so lucky to have this beautiful baby?

I can't even explain the feeling. The feeling of being your mom.

November 17, 2011

Due Date

That's right, I am 40 weeks plus one day today. And still no signs of baby coming. Boo.

Are we ready? You have no idea how ready we both are to have this baby here. The anticipation, waiting, anxiety, excitement, nervousness and elation are beyond their limits.

I've seen his crib empty for too long.
I've smiled as I washed all his clothes and put them away.
I've sat in the glider and rocked dreaming of him here.
I've laid fully awake at night unable to turn my mind off.

It's crazy to think that 40 weeks have come and gone, and he will finally be here no more than a week. 

We had an option to induce tomorrow morning, but decided it was best to not force him. We are going to give it one more week and see what happens. If he doesn't make his debut, by all means, I'm forcing him out!

We might have ourselves a little turkey baby, but as his soon-to-be Uncle Eric put it, "It will be the best Thanksgiving we've had to date!" Love how excited he is.

We're all excited.

But we're not so sure about this guy:


Jake knows something is up. For several months now, he has taken on some new interesting habits:
  • Eating toilet paper: He has NEVER done this, but now we will find him pulling toilet paper off the roll or rummaging through the bathroom trashcans.
  • Being attached to me: Jake is clearly Brian's dog. Don't get me wrong, I love him and he loves me, but Brian and him have an unexplainable bond. Well, Jake has found a new attachment to his momma.
  • Sleeping in the nursery on the comfy white rug: We will find him sleeping in Baby K's room, a room he never used to go in. Maybe he just likes the rug, but I like to think he is excited to protect baby.

Oh, and eating sawdust. When Brian was making the floating shelves for the nursery, we caught him eating sawdust. What!? This dog typically never chews/eats weird things. Sorry Cal, no remotes or thongs for this pup:)!

So the waiting game continues. Hoping to have baby here very soon. My blogging will most definitely be spotty for awhile (who am I kidding, you're already used to that from the past 9 months!), but I'll do my best to post pics and updates.

Na, Nuh, Na, Nuh, Na, Nuh, Na -- Na, Nuh, Na Nuh, Nuh! -- Na Na Na Na Na (to the tune of the Final Jeopardy Round)

November 7, 2011

Fall Back

Well hello Monday, I mean goodbye Monday.

I meant to post this last night, but couldn't because Time Warner Cable is seriously the worst cable/Internet provider on this earth and can't seem to get ours working correctly or consistently. Will U-Verse please just come to our area? Puh-puh-puh-pleaaaasssseee?

And now, I sit here at work trying to crank out this post because I have been that MIA from this blog (thanks to my friend Mark for reminding me). Did I mention that it's already insanely dark outside?

Makes me moody. And somewhat depressed.

While I appreciated the extra hour of sleep this Sunday AM (but not really because I woke up at the same time), I really dislike how early it gets dark now.

In case you were wondering, Baby K is still nestled all cozy inside my belly and is making no apparent signs of coming early or on time for that matter. I'm hoping to hear some results of progression this week, but mainly I'm just trying to stay positive.

He will come when he is ready. I'm just convinced he's as stubborn as his daddy and will procrastinate as long as he can. Two traits I definitely do not possess:)

So, I don't like "falling back" this time of year, but I definitely enjoy having the fall season back. There is something about this time of year that just makes me smile.

The weather and fashion attire play a part (although my attire* options are slim pickens these days), and most certainly the holidays, but one of my favorite parts is all the flavors and aromas that come with fall cooking, baking and eating.

Here's a few of the things I've been munching or sipping on the last few weeks:

 Source 
M&M's White Chocolate Candy Corn
It's no secret how much I love sweets, I have blogged about it way too many times. These are G-double-O-D-GOOD. White chocolate AND candy corn combined? How could they not be?

Source  
Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice Creamer
It's not quite comparable to Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte, but it makes for a tasty, festive cup of Joe when you don't feel like spending $4+ on a latte.

Source (photo only)  
Penne with Sweet Pepper Cayenne Sauce
This recipe is a keeper, definitely enjoyed the slightly healthier version of sauce (sour cream vs. something like a heavy cream) and red bell peppers
I modified it a bit. Used penne pasta instead of Fettuccine, added chicken (cubed, then sauteed in a pan with some cajun spice), fat free sour cream and added a zucchini because I had one in the fridge.

Source 
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
I got this recipe from Vanessa's blog and these are EXTREMELY tasty. I was skeptical of only two ingredients, but I will definitely be making them again.

I took her advice and cooked them 25 minutes compared to 12 minutes and they turned out great. I also used some of the excess batter in a mini-muffin pan and they turned out great at 20 minutes baking time.

FYI, I highly recommend them with the cream cheese frosting! Although they are pretty freakin' good without:). Thanks for the recipe Vanessa!

Source 
Lobster Bisque at Capital Grille
We had dinner with the in laws on Saturday night, and the lobster bisque at Capital Grille was AMAZING. Although my step mom, Lori, tells me she thinks her recipe is better. I'll be sure to get it from her and report back:). Don't you just love soup this time of year?

Ok, now that I have made all of you hungry including myself, it's time I get outta here.

I leave you with this hysterical video. I'm sure many of you have already seen it since it was posted all over facebook last week. But by chance someone missed it, it's worth watching. Hilarious. The last kids in the video are my fav.

  Halloween Challenge: I Told My Kids I Ate all Their Halloween Candy

*My feet are starting to swell a bit. I couldn't fit my foot into my favorite pair of riding boots last week with socks on. Boo.
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