18 weeks

I hit the 18 week mark this week and boy is the belly starting to protrude! I still haven't felt any kicks/movement yet, so hoping that comes soon :-|.

Here's what being pregnant has been like lately:

• Where's the pickles? I want one dammit! I have always loved pickles, it's not just a prego thing for me, but seriously, I really have been craving them. It's probably the only craving I have experienced thus far. Other foods will taste really good, but I haven't had that urge or craving that most pregnant women speak of.
• More people at work are starting to notice the changes in my body. I'm not kidding...four people today said "Krista, you're really starting to show!" They said it in a nice way of course:).
• The sickness has pretty much completely subsided. I still gag/dry heave some in the mornings, but nothing bad at all.
• I miss my coffee:(. My fabulous cup of caribou morning blend made from my wonderful Keurig maker. I haven't cut it out completely, but I would prefer to have my normal one cup of day. There are a ton of different opinions on the whole caffeine thing, but I believe everything in moderation.
• I have a new appreciation for flats. I just haven't wanted to wear heels much at all.
• Maternity Shopping: I haven't done much of it yet, but I did pick up a few things online at Old Navy. What do you think?

17 Weeks and Still No Time

Wowza, I am so behind on blogs it's not even funny. I don't know what's going on in all of your lovely lives.

I am really trying to keep up, I just can't find the time! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's driving me nutso! I really don't know how I ever had the time before, but hoping that some day I will have the time to commit to my blog again. Praying that work slows down soon!

Anywho, a quick update on a few random things:

This human being growing inside my belly
I promise to get better about posting pics of my expanding belly. I'm 17 weeks today and feel as if I'm growing faster than ever. Boy, I am so not ready for my body to change...mainly for my ass to get fat, my clothes not to fit and my husband to not think I'm hot anymore. Don't get me wrong, pregnancy is a beautiful thing and I couldn't be more excited for the little bambino to come, but I would be lying if I didn't question these things.

Here I am at 15 weeks:

And 16 weeks...

Some outfits definitely make the belly appear larger. I feel like these are two of those:)

If you're wondering, I haven't purchased any maternity clothes yet, just the "Belly Band", which allows me to wear my normal pants unbuttoned. The band holds them up and keeps them from falling off. None of my pants can be buttoned anymore:(

Source

My lush of a husband
I think Brian is reverting back to his college days. Seriously, it's like, "Krista gets prego and I get a perma DD." He's actually said this very statement before. While I love driving the three of us around (yes, three, I'm trying to get used to saying three rather than two:), I don't think I was fully prepared for how he really has been taking advantage of the whole pregnancy thing -- going out with the boys and not coming home. I will so get him back one of these days.

Two weekends ago, the hubs went on the annual float trip sans Krista. See a pattern here...Brian and more drinking. I didn't know how I would be feeling, and sleeping in a tent just didn't seem ideal to me, so I opted to stay home. Anyways, I was sad to miss good times with great people, but I'm pretty sure Brian did enough drinking for the three of us, yes I included baby since he or she can't drink either.

BRGR
We had dinner with my uncle and cousin last week and tried BRGR in Prairie Village. A modern burger joint with a comfortable atmosphere. I have heard great things about this place and how it is similar to Blanc. I love me some Blanc, so I had high hopes.

I had the turkey burger, what I also order at Blanc, and I thought Blanc's was better. However, the fried pickles and zucchini strings were to die for! Brian ordered the Road House and really enjoyed it. I'd definitely recommend this place.

Ok, enough about the food, let's talk about the strange bathrooms. As I was entering the bathroom, I immediately turned around and walked out when I saw a dude washing his hands at the sink. Then, I realized it was a unisex bathroom. I was so confused! Has anyone ever seen this before? I sure hadn't and it was very strange to me. A guy entering as I was washing my hands did the exact same thing.

Two stalls for girls, two stalls for guys

The women's stall had a cute changing station:) 

Strange Dreams
I have been having the strangest dreams since being pregnant, I have no idea why this is happening, but it is so bizarre.

Last night's dream included Molly (the runner up on this season's of America's Next Top Model - yes I'm guilty of watching), but she wasn't normal in my dream. She was a crazy person and kept stalking me and Brian. She chased me around the grocery store and then broke into our house. This doesn't sound that strange, but it was freakin' weird, especially since the finale of this show was weeks ago so I can't believe I was thinking about it when I fell asleep.

Another dream, last week, Brian and I were on the verge of getting a divorce. At one point, there was a fat girl that he was cheating on me with, but then all of a sudden she changed to a hot girl. Anyways, this girl was his girlfriend and he expected me to just be ok with it. Well, obviously I wasn't and was trying to get him to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Anyways, I wanted to work it out (without the girlfriend in the picture of course), he wanted to have his cake and eat it too. I didn't like the dream at all but it was a little more tolerable when the cake was fat and not hot. So, as we were talking about our situation, I was pretty much begging him to stay and work it out. All he said was, "Nope, I want a divorce, peace out."

Brian now thinks it's funny to throw in the words "Peace Out" when we are saying bye to each other.

The Past Few Weekends

We've I've been pretty lame lately, mostly due in large part to how I've felt. But, good news folks -- I haven't vomited in a whole week! I think the hangover is finally diminishing. Thaaaaaaank the lord.

Sick or not, life hasn't stop for us these past few weeks. I may not have felt like cooking or even watching much TV lately (can you believe it?), but our travel plans forced me to stop being a hermit crab.

Two weekends ago, we went to Grandma's to help out around her house. She recently had her foundation fixed and had some major damage to her grass. So, me, Bri, Momma K and Aunt Kathy from Denver all stepped in to help out. Well, not so much myself, but I did what I could:).

Brian also got to complete the annual spring job of cleaning out the fish pond.

 Those are some sexy pants. It doesn't look cold out, but it was.

The damaged grass that had to be tilled and reseeded.

The finished fishpond. So pretty!

While they worked really hard outside, I opted to help cook and clean inside. Momma K brought this to-die-for Raspberry Oatmeal Bar recipe that I'll post soon. They were so freakin' good, the five of us finished the whole pan in one weekend.

Last weekend, we were off to Clay Center, KS, for my oldest niece's high school graduation. My half sis put on a great graduation party.

Isn't my niece Britt so cute? I used to think she sort of resembled Brittany Spears, until our celeb of a roller coaster shaved her head and went crazy. I guess she's made a comeback, but I somewhere along the lines stopped thinking my Britt resembled her.

I used to change this girls diapers. I can't believe how grown up she is. She will be going to Butler CCC on a full ride dance scholarship. So proud of her! I bet my parents are wishing I could have landed a scholarship...

The graduation was outside on the football field. It was a little hot, and I left with a sunburn on only my left shoulder and left knee, but I thought the outside ceremony was a really nice touch.

More nieces and nephews. Any of you recognize Kenzee? She was the flower girl in our wedding and also the one who was breakin' it down on the dance floor.

Ahhh, to think back to the carefree days of finishing high school and going to college. If we could all go back for just a day...I would choose a warm day in Aggieville over cheap booze and bar food, when the only thing I had to worry about was getting myself home to then rally and make it out again that night.

Oh how life changes and how college really doesn't prepare you for the real world much.

So, my mom leans over to me during the graduation and whispers, "The baby will graduate high school in 2030, that's a good year."

While my mother was thinking about when the baby will experience his/her high school graduation, I was thinking about how I will be 46 years old when my first child leaves home. Which means, I probably will be around 50, when all my kids leave the house.

I couldn't help but think, "damn that's old!" Not entirely true, but getting old is so depressing. I definitely don't feel my age, and I really can't believe that I have been out of college for four years. And that was on the 5-year plan people. I just simply don't feel as old as I am.

Do we ever truly feel our age? Or will I feel 30 when I'm 40?

Coming Out of My Hole

I know what you're thinking...FINALLY! Right?

It's fine, I deserve the "Major Suckage" Award. It was brought to my attention last Friday at a get-together with the girls, that's it has been more than a month since I updated this blog. Yes, this one, that is collecting some major dust bunnies. I bet most of you don't even remember that I used to be really good at this whole blogging thing.

I actually never thought I would be one of those people that didn't blog for a long extended period of time, but certain things in life can make this happen.

One, I have been EXTREMELY busy at work. Like the pull your hair out, almost in tears, question throwing in the towel kind of busy. It's been brutal and not very fun, but that's just life. I've got just a little under three months of this crap left until the other coordinator decides to come back from maternity leave to save me.

So, amidst all this craziness at work, I have been quite sick. And tired. And somewhat miserable.

Why do you ask? Well, because Baby Kutter is the now the size of an apple and growing in my belly. Yes folks, I'm going to be a mommy!

I'm at 15 weeks as of yesterday, due in November and finally starting to feel better. Let me tell you, this pregnancy stuff is NOT glamorous! At least my experience hasn't been. Nausea, vomiting and feeling like you have a hangover 24-7 is the worst feeling in the world.

Literally, all I have been doing is sleeping, eating saltine crackers, getting sick, trying to find something I can eat (and keep down), and being moody with my hubs. He sure does love me these days. Actually, he's been an angel. He still manages to get in lots of "Moody Woman" comments:), but other than that, he has been extremely helpful. Grocery shopping, bringing me breakfast in bed (helps with the nausea to eat before getting up), and dealing with the fact that I haven't cooked in over a month.

But, it will all be worth it! So there you have it, the real reason why I have taken a long hiatus from the blog. I hope to get back into it though. And I promise not to bore you with too much mommy/baby stuff, although our lives are about to significantly change. For the better of course!

We're super excited about his next chapter in our lives! More posts to come on what we've been up to the last few weeks.

Until then, enjoy a glass of wine, a nice cold beer or a turkey sandwich for me. Did you know you can't eat deli meat when you're pregnant? 

Our Family is Growing

We are officially gaining a new member in the fam! And no, I'm not writing today to tell you about a baby or a new puppy.

Even better than that...a future sister-in-law!

Yep, my older brother, the one who some (mainly his friends) thought would never get married, popped the question and is ENGAGED! His super cute, sweetest-gal-you'll-ever-meet-fiance accepted his proposal and said yes this past weekend. You can read all about the perfect night on her blog.

After their date night and the proposal, we were all waiting for them at The Flying Saucer. I couldn't believe how many people showed up to celebrate with them. There was so much love in the room!

Amy was so cute when she walked in and was surprised by everyone. The tears started flowing, and hugs were flying everywhere.

The happy couple

Love her dress

 My brother's best friend, Matt. Not sure why Matt sits like that. We aren't sure why Matt does a lot of what he does actually.

YAY!

I couldn't be happier for these two love birds. A little background about my brother...

Why are you more tan than me?

We are two years apart and had the typical love-hate brother-sister relationship growing up. As most brothers and sisters close in age, we fought, we argued, we tattled on each other, we pushed each other's buttons and tried everything in our power to get the other one in trouble.

We were quite brutal. One time, I hit him with my mother's high heel, which caused a wicked circle wound. It was bloody for days. He retaliated by somehow getting me to willingly put my finger under the sewing machine while he pressed the foot pedal. I'm gullible people, but I have no idea why I would do something like that at age 6. Luckily, it didn't hit the bone.

High school was better than childhood because he transformed into the protective big brother who would beat up any guy I dated. I thought it was annoying at the time, but looking back, I guess I sort of appreciated it. He was looking out for me. 

Next, I moved away for college, he moved to Kansas City, I followed to KC after graduation, and now we live in the same city. Those years living apart were the best damn thing that ever happened to our relationship. It made us realize how much we really do need each other and care for each other.

Don't get me wrong, we still have huge blow out fights at times, but we have learned to appreciate one another for who we are. While, we are two of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet, we're very different people. I can honestly say that all those fights and experiences have helped shape me as a person. I have learned from him, and I hope he has learned from me.

Sorry for all this sap, but my bubba is getting married!

He has been through a lot when it comes to relationships and I couldn't be happier that he found Amy. Got only knows that the Biddles are hard to handle, and if she can put up with him, she is a definite keeper! :)

Congrats to my bubba and the future Mrs. Biddle!

Blood, Sweat & Tears

I'm still alive! Are you beginning to wonder where the heck my blogging abilities have gone lately? I've been wondering too, but I promise I have good reasons.

This past weekend, I spent my time entertaining five high school boys. It was actually the other way around (they were hysterical), but I had to play host.

My two nephews + three of their wrestling buddies + my chaperon brother = crazy weekend at the Kutter household.

Smelliness and testosterone galore!

Here for a wrestling tournament, they arrived Friday and didn't have much time for play. However, we did manage to go to dinner Friday night after their weigh in.

My brother Ryan, Amy, me and Brian got there first so we waited at the table for them to arrive. It was quite humorous as they all strolled up to our table...as the three we don't know blushingly smiled at me and Amy like we were cute college girls.

The one I called "Little Man" all weekend (he was the shortest) was a freshman in high school and the cutest little froshy you've ever seen. The bill of his hat was flat as a board, long hair of course sticking out from underneath, and he did the whole head nod up thing and winked at me. Let me tell you, he got game.

For a second, just a second, I felt like a hot college gal.:) I was flattered.

So, five high school boys and my half brother come to stay with us. Plus we have Me, the Mr, and Jakey doo. How the heck do you sleep that many people in a three-bedroom house and only one guest bed?

Sectional Couch to the rescue! Oh and Matt and Heather's air bed that we always borrow. I promise we will purchase one of our own one of these days. Our couch was utilized in full force and I couldn't have been happier about our purchase than that very moment.

Three boys sprawled out on the couch, one on the air mattress, one on the upstairs couch, and my brother took the guest bed. Perfecto! No need to spend money on hotel rooms when you have Casa de Kutter.

Saturday, we spent all day at the wrestling tournament. My nephews didn't do as great as they would have liked (5th and 6th place), but they can't win all the time. Sorry to brag on them, but they are little bad asses. They have been wrestling since they were little tikes and it's not uncommon for them to easily sweep these tournaments.

Little Man and the other boys all took second. Too bad none of them could pull off the 1st place spot. But for all the blood, sweat and tears they went through (literally, there's lots of blood in wrestling), they did fantastic!

 Lots of wrestling matches, all at once.

 It was hard to watch every boy wrestle. It was like playing musical chairs to get the best view.

So after the tournament, the boys wanted to do one thing: Eat. When you're constantly having to cut weight like they do all the time, they are always ready for some grub.

So they requested none other than Hooters. Pwf, typical high school boys. You should have seen their eyes. And heard all their comments about boobies. It was hysterical.

Here's the boys with our waitress. LOL.

Saturday night we enjoyed root beer floats, watching video recaps of their matches, and lots of talk about balls, boobs and singlets*.

I swear our basement smelled like athletic, maturing boys for days to follow. Brian even had to plug in a Glade Plug-In he thought it was so bad:). Gotta love boys!

What a great visit from the fam we had!

*Singlets are an interesting choice of uniform. Not that they get a choice, but they are just funny looking.

It's Friday, Friday

...gotta get down on Friday!

Who's heard this joke of a song? C'mon, it's only the best song ever created. Did you know that  yesterday was Thursday, Today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterward?

I know those of you who have heard of it secretly sing it too. It's pretty horrible singing, but I will say that it has a catchy tune. Fun, fun, fun, fun. Ha!

Impressively, it has nearly 90 Million views on You Tube. Who knew horrible singing with equally horrible lyrics could get you that!?

Ok, now let's talk about my crazy week. Work got crazy. The second I think I will have a slow week...BAM! I get hit with a semi-truck. Not to mention I was out of the office for two whole days for a conference. You would think that sitting through seminars and break-out sessions would be a nice change of pace from work, but nope, all I could think about was how much work is piling up at the office.

Looks like next week will be loads of fun. And the entire months of May, June and July. Why you ask? Oh, only because my department of TWO (yep, only two of us coordinators in the good ole marketing department) will be diminished to ONE. That one being me, flying solo for three whole months. Why? Because my counterpart is going on maternity leave. 

Can you tell I'm super excited about taking on the workload of two people? Honestly, I can't complain. Comes with the territory. They did let me hire an intern which I'm super excited about.

She's a K-Stater (we only hire the best and the brightest) and the sweetest girl you'll ever meet! She seems a little more reserved than me, but I'm hoping I don't scare her too much....I really hope she likes tolerates me.

And doesn't mind the occasional F-bomb. What can I say? It just tends to come out sometimes.

So, this weekend I will be surrounded by seven boys. Eight if you count Jake. My half brother, two nephews and three other high school boys will be staying at our house.

Not sure if I'm ready for this, but it will be an experience:) They are coming for a national wrestling tournament. I come from a family of wrestlers and it's pretty much a sin if you're a boy and don't wrestle in our family.

We will be spending all day in a humid convention center transformed into a gym that will reek of smelly teenage boys.  But, I'm excited to see my nephews kick butt.

How are you getting down on this Friday?

The Beer Kitchen

This ol' blog sure is collecting some hefty dust lately. And I'm beyond behind on keeping up with all of your lovely blogs.

Life just gets in the way. That's just life.

I'll eventually emerge from this state I'm in and bounce back to the blog world.

Until then, I'll quickly tell you about my fabulous weekend dinner with the girls at The Beer Kitchen - a new, casual, fun spot in Westport (where 180 used to be).

My brother recommended this place and we could not have been more pleased. The one and only, Katie, was in town to shop for her wedding dress, so it was only appropriate we took her to a place she has never been. It was a new spot for all of us.

I was craving comfort food so I ordered none other than the Mac N Cheese. It was rich. It was creamy. It was delish.

Why do I always order Mac N Cheese at restaurants? What am I, 10?

The other items ordered at our table were a burger, the turkey turkey sandwich (yes, it's called The Turkey Turkey), and a salad for the girl who had to be all healthy and crap. Oh, and a jumbo order of french fries for all of us to share.

 Aren't those pickles freakishly green?

 

Thanks Smack, Katie and I will sit here with our Mac N Cheese while you eat your rabbit food.

We had a blast. Our early dinner turned into 4 hours of catching up, reminiscing about old times, and chatting about the exciting things to come such as Katie's marriage to Barry! We couldn't be happier for this girl who has been through a lot with this boy. She just couldn't seem to get away from him. They're soul mates:)

 Bethany & Katie

 The group

Me, Lang and Smack

Now go try The Beer Kitchen! You won't regret it.

Mean Green Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I am beyond done with this weather. I think you all know that. But, until then, I'll continue making soup.

A couple weeks ago, we made Broccoli Cheddar Soup, a recipe I received from a co-worker. Last week it was crock pot potato soup from Callie's blog. This Friday, it'll be Butternut Squash soup. See a pattern? Soups tend to be good Friday night meals during lent.

The broccoli cheddar soup was pretty tasty. I liked it more than Brian did, but I like vegetables way more than he does. This recipe happened to include a vegetable I had never cooked with before: leeks. I couldn't even tell you what they taste like, but I liked knowing I was getting two hearty vegetables in this soup.

You puree this soup in a blender, which I thought would be a major chore. It actually wasn't too bad at all and according to the recipe, adding the cheese in the blender ensures that it will melt evenly and won't clump. 

Oh, and don't let the green color of this soup scare you. It did me at first, but I got over that quickly.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 bunch broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stems trimmed and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
3/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, over medium heat. Add the leeks and broccoli stems and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the broth and water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the broccoli stems are soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the broccoli florets and continue to simmer, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Puree the soup with the milk, cheddar and mustard in a blender, in batches, until the cheese is melted and the soup is very smooth. Return the soup to a clean pot and cook gently over medium-low hear until the soup is hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Broccoli & Leeks

Happy soup:) Luv me some pepper.