Baby Pool

Date
Vicky: 6/28/13

Rob: 6/30/13

Terry: 7/2/13
Mandy: 7/3/13
Tammy: 7/4/13
Laura: 7/4/13
Mary: 7/6/13

JoAnn: 7/6/13
Scott: 7/9/13

Cory: 7/10/13

Weight

Mandy: 7 lbs 3 oz

Laura: 7 lbs 4 oz

JoAnn: 7 lbs 6 oz

Scott: 7 lbs 7 oz

Tammy: 7 lbs 8 oz

Rob: 7 lbs 12 oz

Mary: 7 lbs 11 oz

Terry: 7 lbs 12 oz

Vicky: 7 lbs 14 oz

Cory: 13 lbs 7 oz

Length

Cory: 20"

JoAnn: 21"

Laura: 21 1/2"

Tammy: 22"

Scott: 22"

Vicky: 22"

Terry: 22 1/2"

Rob: 23"

Mary: 23"

Mandy: 23"

40 Weeks

At 40 weeks ...

- baby is the size of a jackfruit. Come again?

- the way strangers address me has changed. At the beginning, I was the recipient of the quick glance at my stomach followed by a coy smile by EVERYONE I passed. Then, I started getting the question, "When are you due?" with an approving smile. Recently, it's changed to the sympathetic, "Almost there?" This week while minding my own business in the greeting card section at Target, the guy working in the electronics department shouts across the aisle, "Any day now?" with a look of horror.

- the little guy has definitely gotten stronger day by day. Rob and I were reminiscing about when I could first feel him kick and we weren't always sure if it was him moving or not. Now he's undoubtedly winding up and giving me a shot to any internal organ he can find! I've been told the movements slow down as you get toward the end, but I think it's just the opposite.

- I'm not miserable as most people expect. I'm surprisingly energetic and comfortable the majority of the day. The only time I'm a little stiff is in the middle of the night when I wake up 2-3 times to waddle to the bathroom. Despite that, I'm getting plenty of sleep. I've been keeping up with my walking, and we've been swimming a little here and there. I feel so bad for people who have pregnancies like what Kim Kardashian's was made out to be. That must be awful!

-  Rob has still tried a different strategy to coax baby out each day. Every day I look forward to what his clever mind will come up with!

- baby doesn't seem to anxious to make his appearance. I can't say I've had any of the signs of labor I've read about. But, I have had a notable increase in frequency/intensity of Braxton-Hicks contractions since my appointment Wednesday. They're definitely getting more uncomfortable!

Thankful ... Monday?

I doubt I'll be up for a Thankful Thursday post this week, so this will have to do. :) Here are the things I'm thankful for today:

- While we were out and about on our Adventure Day, the song Beat This Summer by Brad Paisley came on the radio. He lovingly gazed into my eyes, professed his love, and declared that it was our anthem. In the most non-mushy-gushy way, he (casually) mentioned that it should be our song considering our situation. Here are a few of the lyrics:

Baby I know that it ain't over yet
So let's make the most of what we have left
But it's hard living for this moment we're in and
Knowing it's all gonna end…

As long I live, whatever I do (Whatever I do)
As great as it is, you know what's a bummer
I ain't ever gonna beat this summer with you
Baby it's true

- Rob and I are both obsessed with googling (sounds weird, but I think it's because we both love to learn so much. And because I'm nosy.) Fortunately, Rob's knowledge base is incredibly widespread and I can often get a faster (who thought that was possible?) answer than using my phone. Plus, I don't have to move if it's out of reach. Ha. Anyway, recently I've asked him about UHauls, Asian players in the NFL, Vanna White's age, and the price of gas. He responded (correctly) to all three without blinking. 

- For our almost trip to Atchison. Rob went to Benedictine his freshman year which, honestly, we both forget about from time to time. We talked about how once we move he'll probably never be back there and tossed around the idea of driving up for the day. We couldn't justify an hour and a half in the car just to cruise around town and ended up scratching the idea. Anyway, I'm extra thankful now that he took me there a few years ago!

- Instead of going to Atchison, we ended up at Despicable Me II. I'm thankful for our wise decision. If you haven't seen it OR Monster's University, you're absolutely missing out! I'm also thankful for Rob's snack coupons. :)

- I'm extra thankful for our Best Day Ever. I fully intended to write a separate post about it a couple weeks ago, but never got around to it. It goes something like this: I dragged him to a park where we strolled around the lake and had a picnic. He resisted like no other but by the time we hit the walking trail, he was a very happy camper. We saw birds, bats, wildflowers, a turtle, fish, bunnies, butterflies, ducks, herons, and a great big frog. When we left, we had nowhere to be so we just headed south and explored the area. When we hit gravel, we decided to head west toward Gardner. I should've known he had something up his sleeve...

Yep, we ordered a whole pizza and had ANOTHER picnic! (He didn't really eat at the first one - long story.) Anyway, it really was a lovely day that I officially named the Best Day Ever.

- I'm thankful that Rob has developed a new go-to phrase out of necessity. I've been so googly-eyed this month that he frequently tells me, "Stop swooning." I'm just happy about a lot of things and I like to gush about it. :)

- Looks like I never posted this WAY back, so here it is, my friends!

Fourth of July

Let's get one thing straight: I LOVE holidays and all things festive. That combined with my love of summer, hot weather, swimming, grilling, watermelon, sweet corn, ice cream, America, and not working in general makes the Fourth of July one of the best days on the calendar. Oh, and did I mention fireworks?!

Today was a pretty great one. My day started off with a nice walk to the secret sneaky pond with Kristen. The weather, conversation, and trails were in fine form this morning!

After walking we hung out with Rob a little and watched the hot dog eating competition. Disgusting. It almost made me ok with the fact that hot dogs aren't recommended for preggos. However, come dinnertime I changed my tune. More on that below...

After a nice lunch with the hub, we had a great conversation on the couch while watching baseball. One of those that makes me appreciate (yet again) the time we have this month. We weren't rushed and were able to look each other in the eyes, dive in a little deeper, and actually talk.

Mid-afternoon we had another visitor! (This is extremely noteworthy as Rob and I are is notorious for not having friends. I should reword that. Pretend like I said something nice about how he's comfortable being an introvert and prefers to spend his time alone.) Laura K, his friend from chiro school was in town and swung by to hang out. It was so fun catching up and hearing how things are going for her in South Bend. I love it when Rob has someone who knows his lingo and can challenge him academically on the topics he's interested in.  Also, she gave me a tip to induce labor! I'll keep you posted :)

Later, I regretfully returned the "My First Fourth of July" onesie I had purchased in (hopeful) anticipation of babe being here in time. Then, it was time for our tasty dinner. Rob has become quite the pro on the grill and I beg him to make steaks, burgers, etc. all. the. time.

*Sidenote: We bought a fancy DSLR (is that the term?) camera on Black Friday since we knew we needed wanted one for baby. I figured it's time I actually learn how to use it now that he's due, oh, tomorrow. I've read a couple of articles on Pinterest lately and tested out my new knowledge on various scenes, but still have a long way to go before I feel comfortable using the manual settings. Anyway, tonight I tried to channel my favorite food blogger and (pretend) BFF, Iowa Girl Eats. Seriously, I'm obsessed with her. Here's my attempt:

Pretty good shot, huh? 

Patriotic

I can NOT wait until we have a proper kitchen table again. Seriously.

I learned how to blur the background!

Big burger, extra large bun. My mouth is watering just looking at these pictures and I just ate. #pregnant (Does that work here or is it just an excuse to be a super fat fatty? Can you hashtag a blog? Ughh #firstworldproblems)

SO tempting I blocked out the chunk of hot dog on that guy's eyelid. And the wet bun in his hair. 

We capped off the evening with the one and only option: fireworks. We enjoyed a nice view of the Corporate Woods display from Rob's school and thankfully the family behind us brought their radio so we could hear the tunes the show was set to. I love fireworks so so so much and it was a much better way to watch them than from the Applebee's parking lot like I did last year!

Testing out my camera again. Fail.

Weird picture, but look how bright it seems! This was about 9:15pm

Creepin on the people baby in front of us. Again, nice and bright photo!

A little blurry

Better!

Ooooooohh! Ahhhhh! 

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful ...

- that I wasn't planning to name my child North (West) because boy, would that be embarrassing.

- for some new books! Two in Spanish, one in French. I'm not sure whether they're for me or the nugget, but either way I'm ecstatic! When I was clutching them with a stupid smile on our way out of Barnes and Noble, Rob may or may not have called me Matilda. Total compliment!

Yep, that's my belly there. Hmm.

- for back-to-school displays, but NOT YET. I almost fainted when I saw this one (below) at the grocery store this week, and Rob about died from embarrassment when I stood there taking a picture. Traumatic, to say the least.

- for a sweet email from a student. (I gave my classes my personal email address on my last day if they wanted to see a pic of babe.) Here's what he wrote:  

Hey it’s ____! I hope I’m not too late to get updates about the baby and your new school! I was going through my French papers and in a weird way I miss French and the people in it. I haven’t had that much fun learning since elementary. In what other class does your teacher make it a point to get to know everyone and lets u have so much fun! But I’m glad to be on break! My summers been AMAZING!!! And working @ Lifetime as a guard has been a great experience.  My dad has been visiting France and it’s cool to have him bring home news papers and magazines being able to read them. Every time I see French writing on products my first thought is how excited you would get over it and that it’s a great example of how important it is to know a different language.  I hope u r having a good summer!

- for KC friends. Lunch with Susanne and walks with Kristen and Kathy sure make the time pass faster. :) We might even get to see Laura K while she's in town!

Outfits from Susanne

Lion butt!

People are so generous!

- for our KC fun to do list. This week we checked off several places we wanted to visit one last time before we move. 

Johnny's on 95th and Antioch

40 Week Appointment

Today was my very last appointment at the Women's Healthcare Group! My nurse (Jennie) was definitely sad to see me go.

Things were pretty routine - except I'm no longer dilated to a one. I'm at ... (drumroll please) ... a one and a half! Rob and I decided it's probably a trick of the trade though. Three weeks ago: zero. Two weeks ago: one. Last week: still one, but his head has dropped. This week: one and a half. OB's deal with antsy full-term pregnant women all the time and this is surely just a clever way to calm them.

She did confirm my induction for Tuesday night and on her way out, as an afterthought, said, "See you then! Or sooner I hope!". Read: she doesn't truly expect me to go into labor before that. So, we're pretty much banking on his birthday being July 10th which is just fine by me. :D

Adventure Day

Today I somehow convinced Rob to join me in a Kansas City Super Tourist Day! We have a list of places we want to go before we move and admittedly, most are restaurants. However, I have a few others that I've been begging him to visit forever and today we finally checked several off our list! I've already been to most of them without him but for some reason I thought it was important for him to see them and for us to go together. Whatever.

First stop: Johnson County Library It was like he'd never been to one before. He was fascinated.

Second stop: Your Wellness Connection for my weekly chiro appointment. I saw a different doctor since mine was out of town and it's so beneficial to be adjusted near the end of pregnancy. I took another big sip of the chiropractic Kool-Aid when she told me about a woman she saw recently: ONE adjustment and her breech baby flipped head-down and stayed! I'm so happy Rob chose this profession.

Third stop: Westport I've read about this trendy area and heard people talk about it, but I would say it was a big letdown. It's a historical area with restaurants, bars, shops, etc. but it's not somewhere I'd like to be alone at night. It's just not our scene. (This and Cosentino's were actually the only places we went today that I hadn't been to before.)

Fourth stop: Liberty Memorial Well, technically it wasn't a stop, but we did drive by and admire the giant WWI statue.

Fifth stop: Union Station A total must in KC. I loved it and peer pressured Rob into enjoying it also. :)

Sixth stop: Crown Center I was super sneaky in getting Rob here (via the connecting skywalk from Union Station). This was his favorite stop of the day since he got a slice of d'Bronx pizza. Shocker...

The only picture I took to document the day. In front of the fountains at Crown Center

Seventh stop: Power and Light District Again, not exactly our scene. We strolled through in broad daylight since we were right there.

Eighth stop: Sprint Center Speaking of being in the neighborhood, the Sprint Center is just across the street, as well as the College Basketball Experience. This doesn't really qualify as a "stop" either, but we did check it off our list! 

Ninth stop: Cosentino's Rob loves grocery stores - it must be in his genes. I have to say I've learned to enjoy exploring them now also, but I wish I could convince him to do the weekly trip to Price Chopper. I guess the novelty has worn off...

Tenth stop: We almost got stuck in a parking garage. Too much to type, but definitely a funny story. Ask one of us next time we chat. :)

Eleventh stop: City Market I love farmers' markets and was relieved that there were still two vendors left when we got there. The rest of the area was a ghost town. Oh, well! I scored huge containers of blueberries for $1.50 and grapes for $1. You just can't beat that.

Subconsciously I was probably determined to get this baby moving and wasn't even thinking about the fact that I'm super-preggo. We walked a ton and saw so much in a short amount of time. I had such a fun day exploring and thankfully Rob humored me and went with it even though this is totally not his thing. He just kept a smile on, even when we hit some rush-hour traffic on the way home. :)

The only place I've never been my KC list after today is Schlitterbahn, but that just wasn't practical this summer. Of course there are tons of places we'd like to go again before we leave like a Sporting game, Royals game, the KC Zoo, Zona Rosa, etc. I think we might make it to the Overland Park Farmers' Market and the Plaza one more time before moving day.

I guess we'll just have to come back with the nugget sometime soon!

39 Weeks

At 39 weeks ...

- my ring got stuck on my finger for several days. Scary. I'm done wearing it until the swelling goes down! I've since replaced it with a plain silver band purchased from American Eagle circa 2001. Snazzy.

- I finally got a copy of The Happiest Baby on the Block (in DVD format). My sweet husband was such a trooper and watched it with me (after some begging). Next up: Dunstan Baby Language.

- I was a little nauseous on Tues/Wed but I think it was mostly in my head. I got a little grouchy with that and the extreme heat but when Rob complained I politely quickly reminded him that many pregnant women are like this for all 9+ months. Pizza sure changed my mood though! Weird.

- it's sinking in more and more that we will soon have a little person that we're fully responsible for. And that's a little daunting!

- in an effort to get this baby movin' (down and out), I've stepped up my efforts in the exercise department. Of course that's not difficult to increase when you're at zero, but it's been so nice! We've been walking the mall (indoor and outdoor), Heritage Park, and the path to our secret sneaky lake. I love the time I get to spend walking with Rob, even if he laughs that it's serious exercise for me at this point.

- I'm so relieved that I'm not working right now. I would be such a bear if I had to wake up early, get myself ready, and be "on" all day long. Round of applause for relaxation, people!

- I still have yet to find a stretch mark. Fingers crossed...

- Rob's latest strategy to entice baby to come out is to sing happy birthday to him! I about peed my pants laughing the first time but desperately held it because he would've just claimed my water broke.   He also sang in Spanish, just in case. Yesterday his tactic was reverse psychology: he didn't mention (to babe directly, at least) anything about him being born. Today he's accusing baby of making him look foolish. Oh, it's only the beginning...

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful ...

- we've done a little more packing. Every box is one less thing we have to do when baby is here!

- for our pool. It's so beautiful and refreshing. Unfortunately, the people there do not match the landscape.

- that I'm pretty talented at shuffleboard. It feels good to beat Rob even after he extends the game to best of three and then best of five.

- for reruns of one of our favorite shows: Giuliana and Bill. I can't wait for the new season!

- for time to watch TV and go to movies. Have I mentioned how much I love the month of June?!

- to be so happy. I know I've said it a lot, but I'm just in a really good place right now. And I'm savoring every moment because this is the only time in my life where I'll have a month with nothing on the calendar, unable to travel, and no responsibilities. 

- for a husband who knows just what I need. All the time. 

- to live in such a beautiful city. It's going to be so hard to leave!!!

- for a $350 bonus check I received from work for my unused sick days. Seriously, we're RICH! Ha.

- that Rob loves going to movies enough that he was willing to be the only couple in the theatre without kids in tow. Two thumbs up for Monsters University!

- that I can appropriately use the 's. Come on! Rob gives me a hard time for getting so worked up about it, but I found numerous grammatical mistakes yesterday. One was on the "Mother's to be parking" sign, a couple were in the What to Expect book, and another was in the booklet that comes with a DVD. I do find an incredible amount of joy in correcting mistakes which is probably why I'm a language teacher. That being said, I don't edit my blog so feel free to send any corrections or suggestions my way. :)

39 Week Appointment

Today was my 39 week appointment! It was pretty routine which is a good thing, I guess. She thought he was between 7 and 7 1/2 pounds but if he waits til the 10th, he could be up to 8. I'm still dilated to a one but she thought his head had dropped further than it was last week. I've been carrying so low this whole time I thought if he dropped any lower he'd pop out! Ha.

Anyway, next Wednesday is my last appointment since the week after is my scheduled induction! AHHHHH

Weekend Wrap-Up

Boy, did we have a fun-filled weekend! My parents came down to visit and we had a great time talking about and shopping for baby. We also did lots of walking - to our secret sneaky pond AND at Heritage Park where we also had a picnic. We even got a little crazy and all four of us went swimming at 9:00pm. My mom's not a big swimmer so this is particularly noteworthy! Of course there was also lots of eating too. :) And, at the end of the weekend they took off with a car jam-packed with boxes to alleviate some pressure for moving day. Thanks again for a great weekend, guys!

We showed them around the hospital and snapped some silly pictures

These pics aren't funny when the husband doesn't have a big belly too... He was trying to push out! 

Next time we're here it's BABY TIME!

We look a little tired, huh? You wouldn't guess we've spent a month relaxing and resting!

I REALLY hope he's here by the Fourth to wear this! And I hope it fits...

I found this in my stash of baby clothes - I can't wait to see him in it! 

What used to be our entertainment center, AKA Baby Central. 

38 Weeks

At 38 weeks ...

- baby still has the hiccups all the time.

- his movements have gotten more powerful. And more visible! Wednesday evening I had Rob take a video of my belly and you can totally see his foot giving me a swift kick in the ribs. I hope to get a few more clips before he makes his grand appearance.

- we still don't have an outfit to bring him home in. Our #1 option is probably going to be too big so we're still searching for something special. I'd love for it to be something red, white, and blue since I'm crossing my fingers that he'll be born on the Fourth of July.

- I keep receiving gifts! Last weekend Rob's fam brought two cute onesies, a ball, a fun cupcake/cookie/crazy snack cookbook, AND a baseball nightlight. I'm honestly shocked by their generosity time and time again. Then yesterday Kristen, the best theme gift-giver ever, gave me this little bag filled with a magazine, socks, snacks, a toothbrush, and a bottle of water.

- I've felt a little more uncomfortable lately, but I guess that's par for the course. BUT, it's not terrible and I'm not necessarily ready for this to be over yet! Rob had a great idea and I switched the items in our kitchen cabinets around a bit. Now our everyday stuff is in the upper cabinets where I don't have to bend over to get them ask Rob to get them for me.

- I've had a couple of nights where I'm wide awake around 4:30. Thankfully I've fallen back to sleep after about an hour but I'm definitely not used to it! I don't know how Rob deals with this and keeps his sanity.