38 weeks… let the waiting game begin!

Today is March 1 and my official "Baby" month!!! I couldn't be more excited and anxious! March seemed soooooo far away… and BAM!!!… here we are in March. I guess to say that I'm anxious doesn't really cover the whole realm of feelings. I'm anxious to meet the newest Kirsch. I'm excited to see her beautiful face and hold those little hands/feet that have been kicking my inside. I'm scared that I won't know exactly when I'm going into labor or what to do when she is finally here. I'm overjoyed that this has been such a smooth and healthy pregnancy for both me and Baby K and these are anywhere from only days to weeks until we get to meet her. I'm overall just so thankful that we have been given the opportunity to expand our family and share the love that Brad & I feel for each other with our baby girl.

Brad has been so calm and collected throughout this entire pregnancy, that is was hard to tell how excited and anxious he was for Baby K's arrival. I thought I was the only one freaking out about her making her debut. How wrong I was! hehe. He keeps telling me to eat spicy food and do whatever I need to to get her out. He told me last night… "I want her to be here so we can hang out!" This was so frickin adorable to me, just picturing him and his daddy's girl chilling on the couch watching some sports together! Makes me tear up a little… cause those are the simple little moments I look forward to! I will say, I have been bouncing on my exercise ball and trying to walk around more to maybe, just maybe, help speed things up a bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% ok with her cooking in there till her due date, but if she wants to join the world a little early, I'm ok with that too!! We are all just so excited to meet her!

Well besides just being over excited to meet our baby girl, not a whole lot is new with me. (Weird, right, considering I'm over 8 months pregnant). I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and I was 1.5cm dialated now, but still just 30% effaced. My weight, blood pressure, baby's heart rate and everything was right on target too. I have been feeling pretty darn good considering, although started to get a little more tired again, and the big ol' belly gets in the way a little more than it used to! One quick story about my belly… so our good friends Ryder & Wendy just bought a new house, and Brad & I were over there helping them out with a few things. Brad was helping to paint, and I was just doing to taping and taking off outlet covers. Anyways, Brad has just painted these half walls by the entryway, and I was standing in that area talking to him. Well about a half hour later I was sitting down eating with Wendy, and she looks at my shirt and ask, "What did you do?" When I looked down, I had a perfect little circle of fresh paint on my stomach. Sooo, I guess I still don't know how big my belly is because I stuck it up against the wall without even knowing! haha! I had a good laugh from that one!

Well I hope you all have a great first few days of March… and I will keep you all posted on any new happenings!

Hugs,

Betsy

OMG! 37 weeks… technically full term!

It is absolutely insane for me to think that I am already considered to be "full-term"! Seriously… where has the past 8 months gone! I can remember the day I found out I was pregnant like it was yesterday… and now we honestly could be meeting our baby girl any day! My emotions and thoughts are all over the board at this point… excitement, anxiety, overjoy, anticipation and just an overall disbelief that we are actually going to be parents! Its almost surreal. I obviously know that I have been pregnant and carrying this baby in my womb for 37 weeks, but now its hard to change the mindset to the fact that she is actually going to be here. She will be sleeping in the crib, and wearing all the adorable clothes and stealing our hearts! We soooo can't wait to meet her and introduce her to the loving family and friends that she is so lucky to have!

Along with these 37 weeks come all sorts of new aches, pain, feelings, etc. Since the little one has dropped (at least I think) she is not pushing up into my ribs so much, and breathing is much easier. BUT, on the other side of that is now she is pushing down into my bladder and lower stomach, causing all sorts of pressure down there that I haven't felt before. Walking and standing for any length of time seems to be a little more difficult just because there is so much weight being put on my upper legs. Not to mention the slight jolts of pain I get down my thighs every once in a while from her pushing on a nerve. But with all these changes also comes that, for some reason, I have actually been sleeping BETTER! I can't actually explain it, but its true. I also just feel this sense of peace because I think I am starting to realize that we are about as ready as we could be for her to arrive. Brad is very anxious for his baby girl to be here… he keeps asking how we can get her to just come already! <3 Its quite cute… she's gonna have him wrapped around his finger in no time!

So, speaking of her making her arrival… things are slowly but surely making progress. I had a doctors appointment on Tuesday… my weight, blood pressure and baby's heartrate were all right on target. And she did my first internal exam. Looks like, as of Tuesday, I am 1cm dialated and 30% effaced. Also, she was able to feel the baby's head, so she is definately down and in her "ready" position. Even though it could still be 2 or 3 weeks till she gets here, its just really nice to know that things are at least moving along! I'm very anxious to see how things are progressing at my next doctor's appointment next week!

So just to give you guys some fun photos to look at, I'm posting pictures of what I'm calling the "final nursery" pics, and some pics from my different showers!

Enjoy!!!

35 weeks… The nursery is done, and the Bun is getting close!

35 weeks… wow! Ummm, for those of you who don't wanna do the math, that's only 5 more weeks till my due date! I can't even believe it… but my body can! My tummy is getting HUGE, things are definately starting to get ready for this little one to be here… and taking my shoes and socks on and off has become quite the chore! I only wish I could teach the dogs to help pull them off! I love that I still feel comfortable wearing my heals and boots, but I tell you they are not the easiest thing to get off! haha! When i go in for my doctor's appointments, I have to make sure that I wear shoes I can easily get off so I don't look like a total moron trying to get my shoes off when they go to weigh me! ;) The nurses at the doctor's office are all just so impressed I still wear heels! honestly, besides my tennis shoes, I only have one or two pairs of slip on shoes! Knowing me, I will probably be walking into the hospital to give birth with heels on! I'm sure they don't see that every day! Ok, enough of a rant about my shoes!

I just had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and everything was perfect! (thank the lord!) My weight and blood pressure were perfect, my belly size is right on track, and the baby is head down with her little bum right under my ribs! Its so cute to try to picture how she looks in there! (although a little cramped!) I have to say, I have been so lucky with this pregnancy. No complications, no bumps in the road (fingers crossed) and just feeling pretty darn good overall. Yeah, I've had the sickness, tiredness, etc, but thats all to be expected with any pregnancy. I feel very fortunate to still be able to work out a couple days a week and just go about my daily life as normal (although maybe just a bit slower… and don't ask me to pick anything up off the ground!)

Next week is the start of my WEEKLY doctor appointments leading up the our baby girl's arrival! We are also taking a tour of the birthing center next week… which I'm excited about! This is all starting to get so real… and we are going to welcoming such a precious gift to our family in no time! I can't wait to share all this excitement with you guys!

Hugs and happy hump day!

33 weeks and getting anxious!

So I am now officially 33 weeks along… ummm where did the time go! If I do have this precious little one around my due date, we are only talking about 7 more weeks! That is absolutely hard to believe! As the weeks dwindle down, I'm getting more and more anxious to meet our baby girl! I keep trying to picture what she is going to look like and what it is going to be like to look into those adorable little eyes! (oh man… tearing up just thinking about it!) She sure is not shy about letting me know that she is in my belly and doing fine (although maybe a little cramped! – I don't know how I'm going to fit her in my belly when she is still going to almost double in size!) She is definately a mover and shaker! Brad and I actually found out last night what kind of music she really likes… PHISH! Surprise surprise! I had fallen asleep on the couch and Brad was playing video games. At one point he decided to put on some music (Live Phish album from Alpine Valley) instead of listening to the video game. As soon as he put the music on, I woke up and baby girl was moving and kicking up a storm! She didn't start moving until the music came on… and didn't slow down until a song or two later! Brad was so happy to know he was already rubbing off on his little girl!

In getting ready for the new arrival, last weekend my parents came down and brought the dresser that they refinished for the nursery, along with the white rocker that my Nanny gave us for the nursery. These were the last 2 major pieces we needed in order to put the nursery together. So after last weekend, the nursery is finally almost finished. I have a few last touches to add (a few things on the wall and hanging up the mobile), but other than that, it actually really looks like a nursery now. Its hard to believe that there will actually be a darling baby sleeping in that room so very soon! I just can't wait! hope she loves it as much as Brad & I do. Brad even said that he could just hang out in the room because it feels so cozy now!

Well besides all these "warm fuzzy" things going on with the baby, some of the discomforts that come along with your 3rd trimester are really setting in. Sleeping is still quite an issue… constantly tossing and turning, and my hips are getting really sore and tight from having to sleep on my side. My big belly is starting to really crowd my ribs, making it slightly more difficult to breathe at times. And when baby girl kicks my ribs, it literally takes my breathe away! Its amazing how strong a 4lb baby can be inside of you! I also am having a harder and harder time putting on socks and shoes because there is no comfortable way to work around this belly! I somehow manage… but I'm sure it is quite the scene if anyone were to watch me do it! Slip ons are going to be my best friend very soon!!

But seriously people… 7 more weeks! Thats it until this little miracle is here! Wow! I'm going to be in disbelieve until she is in my arms and I can kiss that little face of hers! Oh how I can't wait!

Hope you all have a fab week!

31 weeks… and the nesting bug is in full force!!!

Wow! When everyone would say that one day you would begin to have this crazy urge to start "nesting" for the new baby… I just thought that I was kind of like that all along. Boy was I wrong! In the last week or so I feel like all I can think about is the baby and getting everything ready for her arrival! Not just getting things ready, but wanting to make things for her nursery to make her feel like the special princess we all know she is going to be. So, this last friday I broke down and bought a bunch of crafting supplies to make the images in my a reality! I had three main projects for myself… creating a mobile for over the crib, refinishing a side table for next to the rocker, and adding something to the pink/black lamps that I had already purchase. Going into Michaels, I didn't really have a clear idea of what I was going to do for any of these projects, but I was determined to figure it out while I was there so I could make sure to buy everything I needed! Well… after about a total of 9 hours over the weekend, my visions were complete. Take a look at the pictures… not too bad considering I really didn't know what i was doing! I hope Baby K grows to love them too!

So sleeping has continued to become quite the task for me! I used to love going to bed, but now I just can't get a good night sleep because I am constantly thinking about the fact that I need to try to not roll onto my back during the night (which is how I usually slept pre-pregnancy) and to try to stay on my left side. (which is probably the least comfortable way for me to sleep!) I especially hate sleeping on my left side because then I am facing away from the hubby, and I enjoy snuggling with him! (i know… sappy, right?) I keep trying different pillow to try to keep my from rolling over, but they don't seem to help much. To be honest, the most comfortable play for me to sleep is on the couch because there is a "built-in" full body pillow, but I don't want to spend all my nights on the couch away from the hubby. I guess we will see what we can come up with to make sleeping a little more enjoyable for me over the next 9 weeks! Just one SMALL hurdle to get through in order to meet our precious baby girl!

On a slightly different note, I am so excited for this saturday! It is my first baby shower! Since I have only been to one other baby shower ever (which is hard for me to believe) I don't know exactly what to expect, and of course my adorable mother won't let me help with anything! BUT, that is part of the excitement! I can't wait to see everyone and spend an afternoon with family and friends!

Well, I've gotta get back to doing some work before my next doctor's appointment this afternoon!

Have a Terrific Tuesday everyone!

30 weeks and the little one is practicing Tae Kwon do!

Geez… Baby K is punching and kicking my insides like I'm her personal punching bag! Although I can't help but love seeing and feeling her move around, I just wish she would try to avoid the ribs and bladder! hehe… those punches don't always feel the greatest! Its probably just in my head… but I feel like my belly has gotten significantly bigger just in the last week! Its crazy! I'm sure I'm going to feel that same way for the next 10 weeks. I better prepare myself now! ;)

Not a whole lot is new since my last post… but I just really wanted to share with you guys a few pictures. Once is of our newly cleared out room. The first step to actually putting the nursery together! The second one is of the baby's closet. Lets just say… its getting pretty full and I haven't even had a baby shower yet! oops! Looks like I will be putting my organizational skills to work after the showers. And, the third picture is from Brad's cousin's wedding. They had a photo booth, and I just thought the pics were cute. Its not very often I can actually get the loving hubby to have his picture taken… so I thought I would share with you guys a rare moment!

Enjoy and I look forward to keeping you all posted on the exciting changes!

Happy (almost) Friday!

Wowzers… 29 weeks!

Sorry everyone that it has been already 4 weeks since my last post! The weeks are just zipping right by me! (The holidays have helped with that too!) Its seriously hard to believe that I'm already into my 3rd trimester! How in the world did that happen??!!

As these weeks are passing… my anxiety is picking up (don't worry… not in a bad way) about all of the things that I still have to do… and LEARN! The nursery isn't even started, although we have most of the pieces, it just needs to all be put together! I think that will get started right after my first baby shower on the 14th. That will definately make me feel a little more settled! I've even been worrying about the idea that there's always a chance I could go into labor early and not even make it to my other 2 showers. I know there is nothing I can do and that things happen the way they will happen… but I can't help but think about it!

I have also been starting to put together my hospital bag. I've been reading all kinds of articles about what to bring and what not to bring, so that is where I am starting. I would love it if any of you moms out there could give me some advice on what you actually used/needed at the hospital and what you thought you would need, but maybe never touched! I don't want to walk into the hospital looking like i'm planning on staying for weeks! ;) hehe

So for christmas my parents bought me the perfect pair of nursing pajamas, that included bottoms, and super cute tank style top and robe. It will be perfect for once the little bambino is here! I also broke down today and finally bough some nursing bras. I have to tell you, they are a little strange and they made me laugh when i tried them on. I don't know why but i just think its funny the way they flip down. (I think that's my immaturity coming out… lol)

There has been some other normal changes that have been going on since the last time I updated you guys. Baby Kirsch is moving around like a ninja in training! When she decides she is awake… she goes crazy! I can see and feel her moving all over my belly! Its really quite amazing! If I can see her moving this much now… i can't imagine how it will be a month or so from now! Its like watching a little alien moving around in my tummy! She's going to be an active little baby!

One other thing that has seriously changed is my sleeping. Sleeping has become much more difficult, both from the little one moving around and from not being able to get comfortable. I swear I am constantly tossing and turning, and my hips actually start hurting so I have to switch sides. I'm just about to the point where I think i finally have to buy a body pillow. I'm thinking that may help me get comfortable! Thank goodness that Brad is a very heavy sleeper so all of my moving around doesn't bother him! (although I'm not going to be very happy about his heavy sleeping once the baby is here… hopefully that will change!)

So tomorrow is the start of my – every two weeks – doctor's appointment. I'm still just stunned that I'm already to that point in my pregnancy. Things have overall been going very well at my appointments. My weight is pretty much right on point (I've gained around 18 lbs already… wow!), my belly is just the right size, my gestational diabetes tests came back negative and everything else is pretty good in the hood. The only thing that the tests showed is that I'm slightly anemic, so I am now taking an extra iron vitamin and trying to eat more foods with high iron in them.

Well I think that is most of what I have to update you all with… but I'm sure there will be more and more to tell you all about as the weeks go by!

Enjoy your week before New Years ya'll!

PS. Thought you might enjoy knowing that Brad bought me the outfit that I'm wearing in my 29 weeks belly photo. It was part of my christmas present. He also got my an hour long prenatal massage! I can't wait!

25 weeks… only 15 to go!

So for the most part things have been pretty quiet on the baby front… but not so still! Baby K had been moving and kicking like she's performing an acrobatic routine! I no longer have any doubts as to when she is awake! Its crazy! If i stare at my belly when she is moving, I can not actually SEE her moving! What an awesome thing. I've never seen something so amazing! I'm also so excited that Brad can now feel her move! I kept trying to get him to feel her move, but she would never cooperate. Now its almost hard NOT to feel her move.

Cute, quick little story. The other morning we were laying in bed and she was kicking like crazy. Brad had his hand on my belly feeling her kick. He then starting saying how it was so unfair. I asked him what was unfair. He said it was unfair that I got to spend so much more time with our daughter. He said if he could he would carry her! I explained that the baby coming out part may not work with what god gave him (if you know what i mean!) I just thought it was so cute that he was jealous of the time I "spend" with our daughter. I've gotta say, I would probably be jealous if the tables were turned!

So on Black Friday, I did a little shopping. But, it was no where near a mall or major retailer. The kids secondhand store near us, Once Upon a Child, was having a Black friday sale. All clearance was 70% off and all other clothes were 30% off. Considering the prices of the clothes are already like clearance prices, this was an awesome deal. We are talking about 2-3 pieces outfits for like $2-3. You honestly can't beat that. So needless to say… I went a little crazy shopping! I picked up outfits from Newborn to 6-9 months. I must have bought at least 15 to 20 different outfits! I was in heaven! I have posted a pic of what Baby K's closet currently looks like… is that a lot of clothes for a baby that isn't even here yet!?? Brad seems to think so! hehe

Nursery update… Brad's mom finished the curtains for the nursery and is going to start on the bumper pad cover. (the pic of the curtains is actually them hanging in her house… just to show me kind of what they look like!) She has also made a few cloth diapers for us to try once Baby K is here. She has a pattern for them and is able to make them in all different sizes. I can't wait to try them out! I am currently working on clearing out all of our stuff from the nursery room, so hopefully in the next month or so we will actually be starting to put everything together! Yeahhhhh!

Well thats about it for now… hope you are all enjoying this first day of December!

Hugs, Betsy

5th Anniversary!

So this post is going to be more about my hubby and our anniversary than baby news… but I couldn't help but share it. So today is our 5 year anniversary (crazy how fast time goes) and when I got home from work yesterday, Brad told me he had something he wanted to give me. He said he was going to wait until today to give it to me, had a whole plan worked out, but just couldn't wait. So in the cute way Brad is, he gives me this gift, wrapped so nicely (in christmas paper… in his defense that is all we had) with even the ribbon curled. I had not a clue what it could be because there wasn't anything I had asked for (or expected)… since we don't usually do much in the way of gifts for our anniversary.

So when I open it, it is an awesome wood jewelry box with a picture of Brad and the dogs on the top. Inside was a beautiful diamond heart necklace with the word "Mom" on it. I was pretty much speechless… I wasn't expecting anything and this was beyond sweet. On top of the gift itself, Brad told me that the "5 year anniversary gift" is something made of wood. (Hence the wood jewelry box). I had no clue, but he researched and found out! Wow, what a terrible wife I am… hehe! And as for the necklace, he said that they had matching necklaces that said "Daughter" on it. He said that we could go together and pick out a necklace to give our "coming soon" baby girl. I mean seriously… how sweet and adorable is that! I was so blown away! It just reminded me of how incredible of a husband I have… and how much he already loves his baby girl! (ok… I'm on the verge of crying right now… the tears are coming– darn pregnancy!)

Well I hope you guys enjoyed my little story… i couldn't help but share it and the pictures!

<3 betsy

23 weeks_and growing fast!

Its hard to believe I'm 23 weeks already… I seriously can't believe how these weeks seem to just fly by. With the holidays coming up, I can only imagine how quickly March is going to be here! Exciting… and yet a little scary at the same time! When you are expecting a baby, you always seem to talk in future tense… like "ohh i can't wait until she is here" and "we have time to get the nursery ready"… but really she is going to BE HERE in no time! That "future" time period is getting smaller and smaller! And as each week passes, I get more and more excited to meet her! The nursery is slowly but surely coming along. We haven't actually started putting any of it together yet, but we are accumulating the different pieces/decorations. Brad's mom got in the fabric so she can start making the curtains, bumper pad cover and hanging diaper storage. I have bought all the pieces i need for my "less than $10" lamps. I found the bases at Goodwill, pink lamp shades at Walmart and then my mom picked up cute black/white ribbon to put around the base of the shade. (see the picture) I think they will look adorable when they are done! My parents are almost done refinishing my old dresser to become a dresser/changing table and Brad's parents have the crib at their house. I suppose pretty soon I should actually start clearing out the room that will become Baby K's room… right now it is being used as a christmas present wrapping station!

So as for Baby K, so is growing fast… and moving A LOT! I just went to the doctor on monday, and my growing belly is just the size it should be… her heart beat is strong as ever… and overall we are both in great health! (thank goodness!) Its amazing how much more I feel her kick and move around now than just a couple weeks ago. She is especially active late at night (like 11 or so), early in the morning and the middle of the day. It really is quite amazing to feel it! I keep trying to get brad to feel it… but I swear everytime i have him put his hand on my belly to feel it… so decides to stop moving! Stubborn… just like her daddy! hehe… (J/K babe… love you!)

Little by little we are gaining a wardrobe for our little princess… and if what we have so far is any indication, she will be quite the fashionable little girl! I posted some pics of outfits we have picked up recently… just because they were so darn cute! Enjoy!

Well that about all the news from here… but I will keep you all posted on anything new! Keep smiling and laughing!

<3 Betsy

Finally felt it!

So this weekend I hit a milestone in my pregnancy… not only am I half way through my pregnancy, but I FINALLY felt our little girl kick! I was almost in shock when I first felt it! Thank goodness she kicked a few more times for me so I could be sure!!! I woke Brad us when I felt it to tell him and have him try to feel it… but of course she was being stubborn and wouldn't kick for him (she takes after her father! hehe) But I have to tell you… everyone tells you how amazing it is to feel your baby kick… and man where they right! Its so unreal! It make it just that much more of a realization that there is a little human growing in there and moving around! I can't wait to hold and touch those adorable little feet and hands that I feel in my belly!

On a different note, I'm getting very excited and anxious to put the nursery together. I think I finally decided on some fabrics that Brad's mom is going to use for the bumper pads, curtains and hanging diaper holder. I also already bought the rug and lamps (black bases/light pink shades), and my parents bought the changing pad/cover that is going to go on the dresser that they are refinishing! I can't wait to show all of you what it looks like when it is done! I think my parents are going to come down in the next couple weeks to get started on the painting of the room and getting things set up! If it turns out how I envision it… its going to be adorable!

Thats my little update for the day… hope you all are having a great humpday!

hugs, Betsy

Nursery Idea

Ok, so this is just going to be a short little post, but I just wanted to share with you guys my "idea board" for the nursery. We are doing a pink/gray/black theme. I think Baby Kirsch is going to feel like a princess from the day she comes home! I've already got a start on pieces for the nursery… just have to start putting it all together!!!

ENJOY!

Betsy

PS. I thought you all might enjoy to know that I officially bought my first pair of maternity jean… ummm I think they may be the best thing ever!!! hehe ;)

WOW! Almost 19 weeks… and ITS A??????

I'm not joking when I say that it is totally hard to believe I am almost half way through this pregnancy already! The time is passing by so fast… and I'm sure its gonna keep going like that too… especially with all of the holidays coming up! Thanksgiving next month, then Christmas, New Years, getting ready for the baby shower, etc. The next 5 months are going to just fly by! I really have to take in each day because this is the FIRST pregnancy I will ever have! I want to remember it all! (Although my memory is definately not that good! hehe… but hey, that's why I blog about it!)

I know you are all thinking… enough now, get onto the good stuff! So friday I had my first ultrasound, and it was also the ultrasound at which we got to find out the sex of the baby! We were so excited (and I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous too. I just wanted everything to be ok with baby Kirsch). I worked during the morning (7 to 11) and my appointment was at noon. I have never had 4 hours of work seem like such an eternity! Geez! Once 11 rolled around… I sped out of work and off to the hospital. Once we got into the room where we were having the ultrasound, the excitement and nervousness was at its peak. We couldn't have gotten things started fast enough in my opinion. Once the ultrasound tech put the goop on my belly and got started… my nerves went down a ton once I was able to see the little heart beat going! It was a total relief. Any nerves I had turned to excitement once she told me that all of the baby's measurements and overall body health were excellent! It totally amazed me how much you could actually see from the ultrasound. The two hemispheres of the brain, the major bones of the arms/legs/hands/feet, the adorable facial features, the beating heart, the bladder, umbilical cord, etc. It truly is an amazing thing! I was so in awe throughout the whole process that I was almost speechless… which is rare for me!

So the final step in the tech's evaluation was obviously to find out the sex of the baby! She wanted to make sure she got it right before she actually said anything out loud, so she was trying to move the baby around to different positions to get different angle shots. After about 5 or 10 minutes of looking at all different views of our cutie, she was 100% sure she knew what it was (and we were in total suspense at this point!) And she says… "You are having an adorable little GIRL!" Neither brad or I said anything right away because we were still in total shock of knowing what we were bringing into this world. After a second or two, we were both elated! Brad said he knew it was a girl all along, and I was convinced it was a boy! I was going to be elated no matter what it was! I just couldn't have been more excited that our baby girl was so healthy and beautiful! From what we could see from the ultrasound, it looks like she has my nose! (see for yourself in the ultrasound!) So after we were all done, the tech gave us a strip of about 5 ultrasound pics to take home with us. Brad took them and folded them up to put into his jacket. He then proceeded to unfold them and made a comment I couldn't help but laugh at… "Man, our daughter is already in a centerfold!" Oh Bradley! ;)

So of course after I found out we were having a little girl, I just HAD to go out and buy at least one little girl outfit! Who wouldn't!? I am now on a mission to get our baby registries done now that we know, so we can add the little girl touches to the registry. Next agenda after that… NURSERY! Although I'm excited to get started on the nursery, I know how picky I am about decorating, so hopefully i will just fall in love with an idea! I've been searching online alot, and have found some super cute ideas. Brad definately thinks we should have pink in the room, so that is the only real thing I am working around (and that we have a white crib and dresser/changing table!) I'm sure I will come up with something i love to make our little girl feel like the most special and Loved little one out there!!!

We love you baby girl Kirsch… you are so beautiful already!

Can't wait to keep you all posted on everything in the weeks to come!

<3 Betsy

16 weeks going on 17

Sorry that its been a couple weeks since my last blog… work and life have gotten in the way of my blogging time! ;) Well… as you can see, i finally posted my first "bump" picture. It still isn't super big… but i have a feeling over the next couple of weeks it will grow much more rapidly! Little kirsch is picking up growing speed! At this point, I really want for people to be able to tell I'm pregnant, and not that I just have a little bit of a belly! Its becoming so much more real to me, and I want people to be excited with me! Speaking of things getting more real, I am anxiously waiting to truly be able to feel the baby kick. Almost every morning I lay in bed with my hand on my belly trying to feel that little kick. I have yet to feel what I know for sure is a kick, but I have definately been able to feel that "fluttering" feeling. I know they say for first time moms you don't always feel the kicking as early, but I'm being hopeful. I have my first ultrasound a week from this friday (which is also when I will be able to find out the sex of baby Kirsch!!!!) so even if I haven't for sure felt a kick by then, the ultrasound will definately help to make things seem MUCH more real (not that I don't already KNOW that we are having a baby, but there is still a little disconnect since I have yet to visually see the little cutie in my belly!)

So Brad is coming to the realization that I am now starting to "nest". My brain is so overwhelmed with baby things, and all I want to do is start getting things ready for the new arrival. I have already purchased an Eddie Bauer Pack-n-Play from Craigslist (which is in awesome condition, and comes with the bassinet, changing attachment and mobile), a set of newborn pacifiers and a few other things. I have baby books and magazine everywhere and I just want to start getting everything organized and all set. Its actually hard for me to wait to buy things for the baby shower, because I just want to know I'm prepared. I know, I'm a freak, but I'm such a planner. Also, I have found that lately I'm am all about watching movies that have to do with people being pregnant (ex: Juno and Knocked Up) because I'm starting to understand a little of what they are going through. Luckily, I haven't cried during them yet (but i have to admit i did cry during Bridesmaids… and its a COMEDY!) Hormones! Geez

I know that I seem to ask a lot of questions of my fellow mommies out there, but I think all of you are much better advice than Google! I was starting to think about First Time Moms. Did any of you take one of those classes with your first pregnancy. It seems like they would be a good idea to take, especially because they include a touring of the birthing units at the hospital, but I was just curious what you all think. Another question I had was about strollers. I've heard a lot of good things about the jogging strollers, but there are so many kinds of strollers out there, so I was wondering what you guys have and if you like/recommend them. It seems like a pretty big purchase, so I want to make sure I get something I would be happy with. I have so many other questions I could ask… but I don't want this lovely blog to become a novel! ;)

Well I think that's all for now… but I'm thinking my next blog I will be able to share the awesome news of the sex of Baby Kirsch (and an adorable pic)!!! How exciting! Thanks for visiting my blog everyone!

13.5 weeks… WOW! Weeks are passing by like minutes!

As each week of this pregnancy keeps passing by, the reality that we are actually going to be parents is setting in deeper and deeper! Its exciting, scary, nerve racking, humbling, joyous and so many other emotions wrapped up into one! I couldn't ask for a better husband, father and companion to be experiencing this life change with… (love you hunny!) This time in my life has also made me realize how important family is, and how extremely lucky and blessed I am to have the family (both Brad and I's sides of the family) and friends that I have… . Everyone has been more comforting, supportive and loving than I could've ever imagined! I have so many people praying for us and the growing munchkin, people asking if there is ANYTHING they can do for us, and just people doing thoughful things I could never ask for anyone to do! To give you an example, my amazing Aunt Debbi sent us a wonderful package of stuff for the baby… including clothes, a blanket and toy. They are so adorable (see the picture I posted). The wonderful gesture made my day and put a smile on my face! God has seriously blessed me and my growing family sooo much!!!

On a different note, i was starting to read about when you should start putting together your baby registry, and from what I have heard… anytime now I could get started on the registry (and maybe wait to finish until we know what the sex of the baby is!) What I was looking for is any mommas out there that could give us some advice on the kinds of things you recommend to put on the registry. What you DID register for that you are glad you have, what you DIDN'T register for that you wish you would have, and maybe even things you registered for that you never use or don't find helpful. Its so overwhelming that I am trying to figure out where to even start!!! HELP! One thing in particular that I was wondering about is about baby monitors. I am seeing everywhere these new live video monitors. I was curious if anyone has one of these and if it is even worth the money (they don't seem to be real cheap) or if traditional monitors work just as well!

Well, that's all I got for now… but I will keep you all posted as Munchkin kirsch keeps growing!

<3 Betsy

PS. I'm sure some of you are wondering when you will get to see the baby bump pics… but I am kinda waiting until it actually looks like a baby bump and not just that I have had a few too many pieces of bowls of icecream! hehe

11.5 weeks… first trimester is closing in!

Well… where do i start. A week ago today was myfirst doctor's appointment. Words can't really express how excited I actually was! I had waited what seemed like forever for the day to arrive! My wonderful husband got out of work early in order to accompany me to the appointment, along with my mother who drove all the way from Sheboygan to be there!

The appointment couldn't have gone any better (except for maybe having been able to have an ultrasound!) The doctor checked me out… and all was good in the hood. I was as far along as I thought i was (10.5 weeks at that point). After a grueling series of questions (which took like a half hour to answer) the doc finally got to the doppler – to hear the heartbeat. She was warning us that it could take a little while to hear it at first… even up to a minute (which would seem like forever!) Fortunately, she heard the heartbeat pretty quickly. It was so amazing… i can't even describe it! She was helping us to hear the difference between my heart beat and the baby's… and you could definately tell the difference. The doc even informed us that when she put the doppler on my stomach, she heard the baby kick! How cool is that!? She also told us that at this point, being as far along as i am and hearing the heartbeat, the chances of miscarriage decrease from around 30% to between 1-2%! That lifted a huge wait of my shoulders… and my heart! All and all, we couldn't have been more stoked about how well the appointment went!

After going to the doctor, its all finally setting in that this is all for real! We are really going to be parents and we are really going to be starting a new era of our lives… and we couldn't be more excited! Of course for me… this all means I can start to look into buying baby furniture and how we want to decorate the nursery. Believe it or not, one of the ideas we were throwing around was decorating it in an Angry Birds theme! (funny, right??) We joked about it at first, but the more i thought about it, the more fun i thought it would be! Honestly, I don't play the game, but those darn birds are just so cute! We have even found angry bird plush stuffed animals and baby onesies and blankets! (see the pictures i posted! haha. I'm not sure how in depth we will go with it, but i think it would be super cute and fun!

Well, those are the only real new things around here. I'm counting down the days until i will be done with my first trimester (and hopefully most of the sickness!) I can't wait to be able to get through my days without taking anti-nausau medication! Soon enough i hope! :)

Have a great week everyone! Smiles!

So the journey begins… again

So I've been waiting a long time to start up this blog again… and the time has finally arrived! I found out about 3 weeks again that Brad and I will be expecting our first child! From what all of the due date calculators say, I am 8 weeks along and my due date is around March 14 (as long as, fingers crossed, all goes according to planned!) So i guess they say that little MiniKirsch is now the size of a raspberry. Since i do enjoy raspberries… i like this comparison!

In most day-to-day life, I am a pretty patient person. But the one thing I am extremely anxious about is my first doctors appointment! Since I had some complications with my last pregnancy, I had my first appointment at 6.5 weeks. But, thank goodness, all is good on the baby front this time, I don't go in for my first appointment until August 22 (at which time I will be about 10.5 weeks). I'm hoping they will also do an ultrasound, because I'm super excited to see (and share) my cute little munchkin. I also can't wait for the end of this month because I will be closing in on the end of my first trimester, which has been a little draining. The 24/7 sickness and extreme fatigue kicked in about 2 weeks again, and i tell you, its not easy to handle. I am a person that loves to be active and productive, but lately all i want to do is sleep! Although I know this is a healthy way to be in my first trimester and its good for the baby to rest, its still a difficult adjustment! I have to keep telling myself… the end result is worth it all!!!!! ;)

Well its about time for me to head home and rest up, so I'm glad to share this wonderful news with all of you… and I will keep you updated on the wee little Kirsch!!! Happy hump day ya'll!

11 weeks and feeling good

Tomorrow I will be 11 weeks… and I'm still feeling pretty good. The nausau has started to diminish and my energy level is increasing again (thank goodness… I hate feeling lazy!!) With this new increased energy comes my urge to start to decorate and "nest" for the new little one. The only problem with this is that we won't be living in the apartment we are currently in once the baby is born. Not only is the apartment not condusive to a nursery (it only has one bedroom with a "den"), but the area the apartment is located in is not, by any means, where I would want to start raising a child. There are bars and a gas station surrounding us, there is an alley out our back window, and the weekends bring out many rowdy people to the neighborhood. I would definately rather be in a neighborhood with more families or just an overall quieter area. Also, Brad will be graduating from school just two weeks before my estimated due date, so we aren't completely sure where his job search will take him. We are hoping he will be able to find something the in Milwaukee/Metro area, so we can find a place somewhere between there and Germantown (which would make my commute so much shorter). If everything worked out the way I would like it, Brad would be able to find a job before he graduates so we would know where he would be located, we could find a new place and be moved in before the baby arrives (as long as he/she doesn't decide to come into the world early!) BUT, all of us know, things very seldom happen the exact way we would like them too. My attitude at this point is that I will just go with the flow, and everything will work out somehow! I have so many friends and family that are always here to help, that even if we have to move after the baby is born… we will have plenty of people willing to help (i hope ;) ). Also, I know that I have a mother and many aunts that would love to help decorate a baby nursery!!!

Speaking of the nursery, I found two nursery ideas that I just love! I would decorate exactly the same (as of course I need to be unique in my design) but I absolutely love the colors and design choices of these two rooms (i attached the photos!) The one is more modern earthy, with simple colors and modern, geometrics patterns. I figured I would try to (possibly) make some of the bedding and accessories with a found fabric (since modern bedding seems to be quite expensive). I could also pretty easily make some artwork for the walls. The other design is definately more bold and dramatic, but makes me feel happy when I look at it. The bright, vibrant colors just bring a smile to my face. The other thing I like about these two designs is that they can easily transition from baby to toddler, and even into their older years. The way I look at it is if I would decorate my own bedroom like that, they are good transitional designs! I asked my wonderful husband Brad which design he liked better, but i have yet to get a response (even though I could probably guess his answer!) Brad definately is more into earthy, neutral colors, which I also like. BUT, I also love some good, bright colors as well! We will see what the outcome ends up being… we have a little while to figure it out!

This friday I have an appointment for some first trimester screenings, just to check on the chances of the baby having any kinds of hereditary disorder. It was covered by my insurance, so I figured what can it hurt! It is always good to be more informed. They had mentioned POSSIBLY doing an ultrasound during the appointment, but I'm not getting my hopes up. They will probably just poke me with a bunch more needles and take more blood!! I will keep you posted, though! 

Keep growing and stay healthy in there little Kirsch… we are waiting for you!!!!

9.5 weeks • Starting to Investigate

I am now at around 9.5 weeks… and feeling pretty darn good. People keep asking me, "Oh Betsy, how are you feeling these day?" And my truthful answer is, "Pretty good." I think most people expect me to say that I am having horrible morning sickness and whatnot, but besides the occasional nausau feeling and not always having much of an appetite for certain things, it hasn't been even close to as bad as I was expecting it to be… at least yet. I have heard that most of the morning sickness is usually over by around 12 weeks, so I am really only about 2.5 weeks off of that point. So if things keep going as they are, my first trimester will have been pretty… well… pukey-free! If the rest of my pregnancy goes as smoothly as these first weeks have been, I'm in for a pretty fun and exciting pregnancy. 

I'm starting to get really antsy about having my next ultrasound. I just really want to see the growth of our little Kirsch… I am starting to see the growth in my belly… thats for sure! It all just completely amazes me! Brad like to makes comments about how I'm like an alien because it just seems too wierd that I would have another human growing inside of me! Leave it to the hubby to compare me to an alien! I'm ok with it though… because it truly does seem out of this world that we could create a human being and have it live in side of another human's body. Science can't even start to explain this phenomenon… its absolutely god-sent!

I was at the store this weekend, and just thought i would take a gander through the baby department… bad idea! I want to buy so many things! I held back and decided to wait til we see what we may get at the baby shower! It is quite a struggle, I must admit, to walk through that department and not buy a single thing. It will be even harder once we know the sex of the baby… since clothes will be much easier to buy!! I better start saving my pennies now! Speaking of buying new stuff for the baby… i would love suggestions from any of you reading this that have kids as to what brands they prefer, including diapers and whatnot. There are so many out there, it just so hard to know what brands are best, and word of mouth seems to be the best way to find out! 

Alright… I suppose I should stop blabbing about baby stuff and get back to my work. Later gator!

9 weeks today!

It's hard to believe that I am already 1/4 of the way through my pregnancy… I can only imagine how quickly the end of May is actually going to come. That being said, the anxiety and stress of preparing for new baby Kirsch is starting to set it. It seems like there are so many things I need to have when the baby is born, where do you start? I did get a good suggestion from my good bud Cassie about buying a pack of diapers with each paycheck, to at least be prepared for the first month or two. All I know is that I want to be over prepared… because I know how stressed I will get otherwise. I am definately someone that likes to be prepared. 

To back track a little, I was looking at newborn diapers today online during my lunch break and holy cow, there a gazillion different kinds of diapers, even for newborns. I'm guessing, that I could research and all that stuff, but I bet they are all so much the same, that whatever i get would be just fine. If any of you have any suggestions or know from use what the little ones seem to like, PLEASE let me know! I also am debating on trying to use cloth diapers (the newer kind, not necessarily the old school type with the safety pins), at least once the little one is a couple months old. I have heard that it is such a money saver if you don't mind doing a little extra laundry (and dealing more closely with the dodo messes!).

I was doing the math today, and it looks like we will be able to find out the sex of the baby right around christmas time (either right before or right after!) I'm pretty excited… I just want it to be here already! What a great christmas/new years gift! At that time, MAYBE I will stop called IT Gizmo, and start calling it by its actual name. hehe (yep, Jon, I stuck with Gizmo… its kinda cute!) Then i can also start hitting up the thrift stores for baby and toddler clothes! Thats what I'm really looking forward to! That child is going to be more spoiled than he/she can even imagine! 

Alright… that was all to rant about today… Can't wait til May!