36 weeks

If Baby C were to come today, he could most likely skip a trip to the NICU, and that was my goal. Not that I want him to come this early, but I was worried with some of the stress I was under earlier in the school year, that he may decide to come early, so getting to 36 weeks was a big deal for me.

I am fairly certain we have all of the little things ready to go. I need to do one more load of his laundry and then we will be 100% a go. We bought the double stroller last week and that is all set up and ready to use. Last night, I moved Karsens carseat to one side of my vehicle, and will install the base for the infant carrier, later this week. Things are becoming more real!

The weather has been so nice so we went to the park last weekend and finally introduced him to sand. I think he enjoyed playing with it! It wasnt wet sand so he couldnt build anything, but we will get there.

While mom and dad went to the Mumford & Sons concert on Monday night (below), Grandma and Grandpa watched the kid and he had a blast!

Karsen is waving to a neighbor. He is the sweetest!

On our drive to Salina on Friday, he was getting a little annoyed sitting in the back by himself, so mom moved to the back to keep him entertained...and entertained he was! He was laughing and giggling the whole time!

Although it is a little blurry, you still get the idea. I said "Karsen, what does a cow say?" He is really getting into the whole "mooooooooo" response. 

While in Salina, we went across the street to the park. Karsen fed the ducks, saw turtles, threw sticks in a stream, and played on the playground equipment. 

Fixing pancakes with papa.

Our trip ended on Sunday in Hays, Ks where we met Bruce's sister and her family for a birthday lunch in honor of Betty! Gella's was very tasty and everyone had a good time.

Grammy with the grandkids.

How far along? 36 weeks. Size of a head of Romaine lettuce.

Total weight gain: Another appointment this week and I am sure I have gone up even more weight. If I can keep this weight gain around 30, Ill be happy...but man it has gotten a little out of control this time. Yikes! 

Maternity clothes: Anything loose around my midsection is ok by me. 

Sleep: Sleep has been ok still. Still getting up to go to the bathroom, and still some pain in my hips. Oh well. Nothing I cant handle. 

Best moment this week: I met with the 5th grade teacher with whom I will be working next year and that has me even more excited for what is to come!

Miss anything? Sleep.

Movement: This kid is moving ALL. THE. TIME. Best feeling ever.

Food cravings: Raspberry iced tea.

Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.

Belly button in or out? In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time now that I know the end is in sight...at school and with meeting this baby!

Looking forward to: Got the stroller. Getting the carseats installed in the right places. Im just so excited and so ready to meet this little guy. 

35 weeks

I say it every week but this pregnancy has flown by! Only 4 short weeks and this kid will be making his appearance! I am SO READY! Tomorrow, my close friend Angie is hosting a baby sprinkle for us. I feel so blessed and not worthy enough of such great treatment. I am very excited to see everyone and celebrate Baby C!

This was a good week at school. Of course, the 7th graders were a serious pain in the rear end like always, but we had our contract meetings and I was offered a contract AND the option to move to another grade for next year. I will be a 5th grade teacher next year and I couldnt be more excited!!! It was a great end to the week and I am still pinching myself wondering if it is all a dream.

Today, we went to Deanna Rose Farmstead to show Karsen some of the farm animals and he was very timid at first. He didnt want to be down on their level. He only wanted to be held. After we were there a while, he really enjoyed himself and I know the more we go, the more he will enjoy himself. They also had a huge park so of course he was a fan of that! Here are some pics from the morning.

He was even timid of this wooden horse...

Feeding baby goats was not fun for him...

He was clinging on to dad for dear life.

Then we got to the ducks...he started to warm up a bit. 

Mom is feeding goats, so maybe I can just stand with her and watch.

But the park is always the best part!

He loved running across this bridge!

Pic of the farmstead before we walked in.

Here is a pic at 35 weeks. I am feeling good but can tell that space is becoming more limited for this kid. He still wants to move around, but I know he is struggling with the lack of space. 

How far along? 35 weeks. Size of a Honeydew melon.

Total weight gain: 25 pounds according to the scale at the doc office. YIKES!  

Maternity clothes: Anything loose around my midsection is ok by me. 

Sleep: Sleep has been ok still. Still getting up to go to the bathroom, and still some pain in my hips. Oh well. Nothing I cant handle. 

Best moment this week: Getting offered the 5th grade position and accepting it!!

Miss anything? Sleep.

Movement: This kid is moving ALL. THE. TIME. Best feeling ever.

Food cravings: Raspberry iced tea.

Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.

Belly button in or out? In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy since I got the 5th grade job. These last 17 days will be great because I just keep telling myself "I dont have to deal with these kids next year!" I hear the frustration from my fellow teachers when it comes to these kids...and I just feel for them. They deserve a serious raise if they can make it through next year!

Looking forward to: Getting the new stroller. I will order that on Monday. Also, looking forward to meeting this kid!!!

34 weeks

34 weeks and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! In a little over 5 weeks, this little man is going to be making his appearance! I have even felt like it is going to take FOR. EV. ER. to get through the month of April but we are already cruising through it Once May hits, I know the days will fly.

I still feel this kid kicking and moving all of the time. He is the most active in the evenings between 7p-10p. Im so tired every evening that it doesnt prevent me from falling asleep one bit.

Karsen has had a bit of a cold (cough and runny nose) this week so his sleep has been touch and go, but it is nothing like we experienced with him last year, so I have zero complaints. As always, we are enjoying as much time outside as possible, even though it has been so windy and a little chilly.

Tuesday of this week I went to the Royals game and didnt get home until after 8p. Wednesday Bruce had a work dinner out at Rye and he didnt get home until late either. Thursday, Bruces dad was in town for a poker tournament the next day. It has been a busy week but that has made the time fly. The kids were particularly wound up this week at school, so needless to say, this week couldnt pass quick enough.

Below are some pics of K from this week. This kid has me wrapped around his chubby, little finger!

He looks like he is praying...so let's say he is praying! :)

Playing in the dirt!

Eating from the height of the tower.

He may have written a line in chalk on the house...

He has a whole selection of books to choose from!

Wagon ride. Contrary to the look on his face, he was excited to be going for a ride!

Lunch out with Grandma and Grandpa!

Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Mike were in town to join us for dinner too!

Here is the 34 week bump pic!

How far along? 34 weeks. Size of a cantaloupe (about 5 pounds in weight)

Total weight gain: Another appointment this week so I am imaging I am around 23 pounds gained. 

Maternity clothes: Since it has become nicer outside, I have been wearing elastic waistband skirts so I have been living in comfort!

Sleep: Sleep has been ok still. Still getting up to go to the bathroom, and still some pain in my hips. Oh well. Nothing I cant handle. 

Best moment this week: When I first found out I was pregnant, I told another teacher to squash any talk of a baby shower. A lot of the families I have now, had kids in 8th grade when I was pregnant with Karsen and they threw such a fantastic, memorable baby shower. I was so thankful but I certainly didnt feel I deserved it again. Well, Wednesday after an all school assembly, I walked back to my classroom and there was a surprise baby shower set up! I was so shocked but also felt guilty because they have already been so generous to us. They gave us a super soft fleece baby blanket and a large Target giftcard. Too much love! 

Miss anything? Still wine. I found the smaller bottles of wine that we enjoy so one is in the fridge getting nice and chilled for me to enjoy a glass at the hospital!

Movement: This kid is moving ALL. THE. TIME. And they are big rolls from side to side. I feel a little bruised inside even because he moves and pushes so hard!

Food cravings: Still raspberry flavored iced tea, but the occasional DDP too!

Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.

Belly button in or out? In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Let's be honest, I am fairly moody. I am on countdown for a break from these bratty 7th graders...22 days left...

Looking forward to: I sold the other double stroller that we were gifted and will put that money towards the purchase of a new one. I have also sold a few other things that will help buy the new stroller. The Target giftcard from my students will also help too! :)

33 weeks

As we are slowly inching to the finish line, I get more and more excited every day to meet this baby boy...or as we officially decided this week "Baby C!" The full name will come later but for now, he at least has an initial!

Week 33 included a regular checkup on Thursday, and then the hospital visit on Friday. The checkup on Thursday was normal and totally harmless. Even when I was due with Karsen, I didnt have this huge long list of things I wanted on a Birth Plan. I really just wanted a healthy baby...AND I wanted to hold the baby first. Call me childish but I couldnt WAIT to hold Karsen! Well, if we recall, I was put under complete anesthesia and when I came out, Bruce was sitting there holding Karsen. Haha. I even felt, as I was coming out of the sedation, that I wasnt fully awake and able to hold him. He was out of the womb for a good few hours before I even had the chance to snuggle that little bug. So for round two, even though I know it is a scheduled C section, I still want the option to hold Baby C FIRST! I have been reading a lot online about how hospitals are not strapping moms arms to the table, so that as soon as the baby is pulled out, it can be cleaned and handed straight to mom for some skin-to-skin contact. I asked my doctor about this option at the appointment on Thursday and he said "Well, they have to strap your arms down, but dad will carry the baby over to you" and I was NOT excited about that answers. But what did he know...he was JUST the doctor. I wasnt going to take that as my final answer, so at our hospital visit the next day, I wanted to make sure to talk about it. Lucky for me, the nurse we met with said they have started incorporating immediate skin-to-skin contact with C section mamas so I SHOULD be getting my wish! YESSSS!!!! Having our appointment at the hospital got me even more excited for Baby C. I feel so much more at ease knowing what to expect this time around. Of course the whole birth process will be different this time because I should actually be awake but overall, it should be very similar. We even requested a nurse we had last time during our stay. She was SO AWESOME and while I know their schedules arent made yet, to at least mention her name seemed to make the hospital proud.

Here are some pics of Karsen...many of which have already been seen on Tiny Beans. This kid is so fun! He was always so good about asking to go "night night" for naptime and bedtime, but lately he has been fighting it a little. It got to the point where we just kind of had to force the issue because one afternoon, it was almost 3p and he still hadnt gone down for a nap. He whines for maybe 30 seconds when we put him in the crib, and then he passes out. He is also starting to get a little bit of an attitude, but he is already so mild, that it isnt hard to deal with at all. It has been great to get him outside to play in the evening as well. He is just a happier kid when we can do that.

Being a daredevil and climbing up the big structure at the park.

His infamous "side eye."

Watching dad play indoor soccer.

Enjoying some chocolate milk for the first time!

Enjoying the weather!

Saying his prayers. 

Eating breakfast in his tower while watching some tv. He fits right into our family. Haha.

Our indoor soccer family hosted a diaper shower for us on Sunday at Top Golf and it was a blast! I did swing the golf club a few times and while they werent great swings, the ball still managed to get off the tee! Here are some pics from the morning!

Below is the week 33 pic!

How far along? 33 weeks. Size of a Coconut

Total weight gain: According to the scale at the doctors office, I was up 21 pounds. 

Maternity clothes: I have still be enjoying the clothes from the other mom at daycare. She gave me some good stuff. All stuff that I wanted to get myself but just couldn't come to terms with spending that kind of money on clothes I'd only wear a few months.

Sleep: Sleep has been ok still. Still getting up to go to the bathroom, and still some pain in my hips. Oh well. Nothing I cant handle. 

Best moment this week: The hospital appointment! I am getting so excited!

Miss anything? Still wine. Bruce talked to a guy at the liquor store about the smaller bottles of wine I had asked for and he is waiting to hear back from him. If we dont hear anything, then Ive got a back up source to ensure I can get a few sips in!

Movement: This kid is moving ALL. THE. TIME. And they are big rolls from side to side. I feel a little bruised inside even because he moves and pushes so hard!

Food cravings: Still raspberry flavored iced tea, but the occasional DDP too!

Symptoms: Tight belly...and tired early in the evening.

Belly button in or out? In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On and comfortable.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Let's be honest, I am fairly moody. I am on countdown for a break from these bratty 7th graders...26 school days left...

Looking forward to: I was gifted a double stroller from a friend but I dont know if it is going to fulfill our needs so I have been on the hunt for a stroller that might be more ideal. I think I found one so I will be ordering that within the next few weeks!!