31 weeks

The picture above is one of me and my best friend, Shannon. We've known each other since we were in the 6th grade. She's due the day before I am!


How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain: I'd rather not know...

Maternity clothes? Absolutely!

Sleep: I need more! I've been waking up at random times throughout the night and then can't fall back asleep. Yuck.

Best moment this week: My students got to see Kellen turning around in my belly. It was one of those huge turns and it looked like I had an alien in there! They thought it was pretty cool.

Movement: All.the.time.

Gender: Boy...hopefully!

Labor Signs: Still just having Braxton-Hicks. Nothing serious though.

Belly Button in or out? Still in as of right now.

What I miss: Hopping out of bed! Josh makes fun of me because I have to roll out of bed now because my belly gets in the way.

What I am looking forward to: We have our first baby shower this weekend for Josh's side of the family. I have a shower at work next week too. Fun times!

Weekly Wisdom: Sleep is overrated. Ok, maybe I'm just telling myself that so I don't feel so bad about not getting any! =)

Milestones: OMG I am 8 months pregnant! That is just crazy!

30 weeks

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: We're not going there!

Maternity clothes? I am having trouble finding shirts that are long enough!

Sleep: Not my favorite thing lately. I am still dealing with the hip pain, which stinks.

Best moment this week: Going on a long weekend getaway trip with my hubby. We had a great time! (See blog post below for details)

Movement: Lots of it, but I don't think he has room to stretch his legs out and kick too much anymore. I mainly feel him turning and twisting, which is a very strange experience!

Gender: He better still be a boy! LOL!

Labor Signs: Nothing yet, thankfully! Kellen, please wait at least 8 more weeks!

Belly Button in or out? Still in as of right now.

What I miss: Drinking a good beer! We went to a microbrewery over the weekend and drinking water was not fun!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing my little man in 10 weeks or so!

Weekly Wisdom: Go away on a "babymoon" with your significant other, even if it is for just a few days. It was so nice for Josh and I to reconnect with each other, without the added stress of everyday life. Who knows the next time we'll be able to get away with just each other!

Milestones: 30 weeks is crazy! This is the last week in the 7th month. I can't believe I'll be 8 months pregnant in a few short days!

Our Mini-Babymoon

With about 10 weeks to do until Kellen's anticipated arrival, Josh and I decided to get away for the weekend. With Josh's new job, he is fortunate enough to have Presidents' Day off work, so we decided to take advantage of a long weekend and GO! After looking at lots of places, we decided to check out Nashville, Indiana. My mom has been to this little town before and raved about it. And, it is only a 2 1/2 hour drive, which was important to me because I get uncomfortable sitting for long periods of time.

We stayed at a cute little bed & breakfast, called The Allison House. It is located in downtown Nashville, within walking distance to all the little shops. The owners, Tim & Megan, are a young couple and were very nice and made sure we had everything we needed.

After dropping our dog off at my dad's house, we took the backroads into Nashville. We got checked into the bed & breakfast around 3pm. We decided to take it easy that afternoon. Josh took a nap and I read some of My Sister's Keeper. That night, we ventured out to a local brewery called Big Woods Brewery (which happens to be owned by the same family of the Allison House). We had a great Valentine's Day dinner which consisted of cheese, crackers, and fruit as an appetizer, salad, and a main course of filet mignon and shrimp fettucine. For dessert, we had a dessert plate of chocolate cheesecake and vanilla cheesecake with strawberry topping. Everything was delicious! Sadly, I couldn't partake in the microbrews, but Josh did and loved them! He even brought some bottles home!

On Sunday, Valentine's Day, we woke up and had a great breakfast at the inn. We then walked into town and did some shopping. I didn't really find anything that I just HAD to have, but we still had fun. All-day shopping is not Josh's thing, but he hung in there and was a great sport! We headed back to the inn and got ready for dinner.

We had made reservations at a place called The Story Inn, which is in Story, Indiana. The inn is about 15 miles from Nashville, way out in the boonies. And when I say "way out in the boonies" that is a huge understatement! Our GPS misled us and we ended up getting lost. We finally made our way to the inn even though we were 30 minutes late for our reservations! The inn is an old, renovated general store from the 1800s. It is very rustic looking, but looks can be deceiving! Our dinner was wonderful! Josh had the New York Strip and I had scallops. We also indulged in cherry cobbler ala mode for dessert. Yum!

On Monday morning, Presidents' Day, Josh and I woke up to about 6 inches of snow on the ground. We had breakfast at the inn and decided to hit the roads, as we had heard more snow was to come later and we didn't want to get stuck. Cincinnati was getting just as much snow and the roads were awful! We drove 20-30 miles/hour the whole way home. A 2 1/2 hour trip ended up being over a 5 hour trip. We saw many cars sliding off the road and spinning out on the highway. There were times we couldn't even see the road! It was a very nervewracking drive home, but Josh did a great job and got us home safe and sound. Due to all of the snow (we have about 9-10 inches at our house) both of us had snow days off work so we get to spend another day together! I'm definitely not complaining!

I heart Etsy!

I've been looking high and low for a baby book for Kellen. All I could find were ones with Pooh and Friends, Precious Moments, etc. Have I mentioned that I can't stand Pooh and Precious Moments?! They creep me out and just aren't my style. Well, when all else fails, I always head to http://www.etsy.com/. I came across a shop called RubyLoveDesigns where the seller makes custom baby books and photo albums. They are a bit pricey ($60) but I love the layout and the contemporary design, so it was worth the investment! And, Kellen will have this book for the rest of his life! Here are some pics of the baby book I ordered:

29 weeks

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain: All I know is that I've gained over 20 lbs so far. I feel like I am all belly though, so I am not sure where that weight is going!

Maternity clothes? They are a must-have nowadays!

Sleep: Awful. I have to sleep on my side, which is how I slept before I was pregnant. However, my hips ache so much that I have to constantly roll over and adjust throughout the night. I have a body pillow, but that doesn't help much with my hips. I've also had a lot of nights when I wake up and can't fall back asleep. Not a good thing when I have to deal with 8 year-olds all day long!

Best moment this week: We were at my sister's house over the weekend and as we went to leave, my nephew (who is almost 4) came up, patted my belly and said, "Love you, Kellen." It was the sweetest thing ever and made me tear up!

Movement: Kellen is kicking so much lately! He is running out of room in there and I can definitely tell. His soft little kicks are becoming full blown punts!

Gender: He's a boy and proud of it!

Labor Signs: No serious signs of labor. I have been experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are not very pleasant. My whole belly tightens up and I feel as if I can't breathe.

Belly Button in or out? It is still in, but the top of it sticks out a little, which makes it look like it's an outie when I have a shirt on.

What I miss: Shaving with ease!

What I am looking forward to: We have our childbirth class coming up on 2/20 and our first shower is on 2/28. My work shower is on 3/4, my best friend's shower is 3/7, and our last shower is 3/14! Busy, busy, but so exciting!

Weekly Wisdom: As hard as it is, take some time to relax. Work has been TOTALLY stressing me out, but I try to take time each day to ease my mind of work stress and relax.

Milestones: 77 days to go! Eeeek!

29 weeks! Sorry for the poor pic--it was a LONG day!
Kellen's new closet shelving. It is still a work in progress, but we're getting there!

A close-up of the closet organizers I bought from Etsy. They go with our jungle theme!

The Holidays

Yes, I know it is February! I have been such a slacker with this blog. I think of so many things I want to put on here, but then life gets in the way and I end up running out of time to make the updates. So sorry!
We had a great Christmas. My last day of work was December 22 and we had our first family get-together the next day, so things were a little crazy, but we made it through. We were able to spend time with both sides of the family and didn't feel rushed at all. Now, next year might be a different story since we'll have a little one with us!
We had a difficult time figuring out what to do for New Years Eve this year since I am not able to "party it up" like usual. After throwing many different things around, we decided to go to my sister's house and hang with her and her husband Tony. Tessa's best friend, Brittany, and Tony's brother (who are dating) also came over. We played games and had a great time. It was a great way to welcome in 2010! I am so excited for this year and can't wait to see what lies ahead!
Here are some pics from Christmas. I was about 24 weeks at this time.

Josh tickling our niece, Averi. This just melts my heart. I can't wait to see him with our little guy!
Merry Christmas!

Our little family of 4!

3rd Trimester

Where did the month of January go?! This blog is in major need of updates. I promise I'll post tons of new pics and updates in the next few days. Check back!