25 weeks and 4/7, and eggplant is getting really strong. Like REALLY strong. Eggplant is in there preparing for his or her first UFC cage match I think - probably jumping rope, eating raw eggs, and listening to "Eye of the Tiger". Last night B and I were sitting on the couch enjoying our nightly popsicles and I could not stop watching my stomach move all over the place. For 15 straight minutes, I sustained punches and kicks until finally I told eggplant to knock it off. "It's time for bed, little baby," I said. Then, I made the mistake of trying to sing it a lullabye. I barely got out the first verse of Rockabye Baby before I got a swift kick right to the middle of my stomach. B said, "Whoa."
Now, baby, I'm not sure if you were just trying to show me who the boss is, or if you really didn't like my singing, but I have never seen your Daddy laugh so hard in my life. (Just for the record, I was in Honors Choir in elementary school and participated in Circle the State With Song two years in a row, so I've got some vocal skills - so there, baby!) After a long and exhausting holiday weekend, it was such a great moment just sitting there on the couch laughing until we cried while eggplant tap danced shuffle-ball-changes all over my stomach.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, we are only three months away from seeing your little face. I had a dream the other night that my Pappy was holding you and rocking you in a rocking chair on his front porch. I woke up with tears of joy in my eyes because I know that he's up in heaven looking down and watching all of us.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Obsessed
Over the years, my friends (cough, cough - Aunt Thrill, Aunt Karl, and Aunt Wheela) have laughed at my unhealthy (on my wallet) obsession with the clothing store J. Crew. Looks like papaya will be introduced to their classic lines and timeless silhouettes much sooner than I anticipated because guess who just came out with a baby line??!!
I am dying.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, I know it's possible that you will reject the preppy style that I will absolutely be dressing you in until further notice, but can you skip over that whole goth phase if possible? Black lipstick does not do anyone any favors. Momma says so.
Well, nobody told me about this one!
There are lots of pregnancy symptoms that I've been prepared to face due to the 952 books I've read on the subject since last July (see previous overachiever post). I know all about stretch marks, varicose veins, leg cramps, and even the dreaded pregnancy mask which I hope to never encounter. Seriously, google that if you don't know what it is - some crazy pictures came up when I did. I'm starting to understand why my doctor told me to step away from the computer!
Anyways, the symptom that I hadn't read about anywhere but that is seriously terrorizing me at the present moment is.....sweaty palms! Weird, huh? I constantly feel like I'm in 6th grade again scared to hold a boy's hand and constantly rubbing my palms on my pant legs. Last night I was doing some work on my laptop and when I moved my hands off the keyboard the keys were all wet. Gross! What if I just happen to run into the President and he wants to shake my hand and I sweat all over him? Sorry, Mr. President, don't mind me, I'm just pregnant!
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, you attended your first country concert on Friday night, and you were doing a little boot scootin boogie all night in my belly. The lead singer said "our kids won't even know what real country music is", but you will. It's the music Momma and Daddy fell in love to, and of course you'll pretend to hate it for the first 16 years of your life, but you'll come around.
Anyways, the symptom that I hadn't read about anywhere but that is seriously terrorizing me at the present moment is.....sweaty palms! Weird, huh? I constantly feel like I'm in 6th grade again scared to hold a boy's hand and constantly rubbing my palms on my pant legs. Last night I was doing some work on my laptop and when I moved my hands off the keyboard the keys were all wet. Gross! What if I just happen to run into the President and he wants to shake my hand and I sweat all over him? Sorry, Mr. President, don't mind me, I'm just pregnant!
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, you attended your first country concert on Friday night, and you were doing a little boot scootin boogie all night in my belly. The lead singer said "our kids won't even know what real country music is", but you will. It's the music Momma and Daddy fell in love to, and of course you'll pretend to hate it for the first 16 years of your life, but you'll come around.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
24 weeks!
Man, I look like I need a good night's sleep, don't I? Or maybe just a new bronzer. I'm having trouble accepting this shade of pale.
I turned in my final project for my Fall Quarter class on Wednesday. SO glad to be done with that class, but knowing I have two more classes to conquer before papaya makes his or her big debut makes me want to cry. I know I can do it, but can I do it and still maintain my 4.0 GPA? B is going to throw something against the wall when he reads that. I can't help that I"m an overachiever. Won't it be great when I'm as dedicated to changing diapers and making the perfect bottle as I am currently to my schoolwork? I'm going to score an A+ in rocking papaya to sleep because I won't settle for less. I'm sure someone will knock on the door one day and say, "Oh my, that baby has perfectly combed hair and smells like just the right mix of baby powder and vanilla. Here's your blue ribbon!" What? That's not how raising kids works? Let me live in my overachiever dreamworld just a little longer.
Speaking of dreamworlds, I made the mistake of going to see "Breaking Dawn" in the theatre with my girlfriends today. For those of you who know what that is, I know I'm about 10 years older than the target demographic for the vampire romance, but I can't resist cheesy crap like that. It's just so light and requires no thought even when it's trying to be dark and complicated. Anyways, y'all, there is an insane birth scene in this movie that rivals the one I accidentally watched on National Geographic a couple weeks ago. Let's just say it involved ridiculous amounts of screaming and the baby's father using his teeth to get the baby out. My friends said they looked over and thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head and/or I was going to throw up. So glad B is not a vampire and that we're pretty sure papaya is 100% human....
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, Daddy felt you moving for the first time this week. We could see your little feet or fists moving against my belly, and it was the most amazing thing ever. You are getting SO strong. I'm convinced you're in there practicing your Irish dancing....I'm housing the next Lord of the Dance in my belly!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
So Thankful!
B and I have been talking alot this month about being thankful for what we have and our wonderful life together. Everyday we try to share one thing that we are thankful for with each other. Usually it goes something like this:
AK: I am thankful for bagels because they taste really good.
B: I am thankful for having Daisy in our lives because she has really taught us what unconditional love is all about.
He. always. wins.
I think maybe he should start going first so that I know how high the bar is set. Today, I do want to share something (really someone) that I am extremely thankful for (and no, I'm not going to say Ryan Gosling although I do very much enjoy looking at him). B and I, are so lucky and thankful to have two very special people in our lives, our good friends, J and C. See photo below:
J has been my closest and most trusted friend and confidant since we were just fourteen year old girls waiting on our rides after cheerleading camp. We've been through proms, college graduation, a handful of close calls with the law (just kidding, Mom), several awful haircuts, and just plain learning how to grow up together. She was the one who introduced me to B, the only boy I dated that she EVER approved of. Now, as you can see, we're also going through impending motherhood together. There is no one in the world I would want to be going through this with other than her. Whether it's been a shoulder to cry on when I couldn't fit into my last pair of real jeans anymore or simply someone to share heartbeat stats with after an appointment who actually understands why it's exciting, she has been there.
The reaction from friends when they found out we were both expecting was hilarious and said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Of course you're both pregnant - you've always done everything together." It's true, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, I can only hope and wish that someday you will have a friend in your life like Aunt J. You will need someone you trust to tell you if your cologne is too strong or your skirt is too short, and of course Momma won't know ANYTHING! Oh, having a friend like that will relieve so much of your angst in the years to come.
AK: I am thankful for bagels because they taste really good.
B: I am thankful for having Daisy in our lives because she has really taught us what unconditional love is all about.
He. always. wins.
I think maybe he should start going first so that I know how high the bar is set. Today, I do want to share something (really someone) that I am extremely thankful for (and no, I'm not going to say Ryan Gosling although I do very much enjoy looking at him). B and I, are so lucky and thankful to have two very special people in our lives, our good friends, J and C. See photo below:
J has been my closest and most trusted friend and confidant since we were just fourteen year old girls waiting on our rides after cheerleading camp. We've been through proms, college graduation, a handful of close calls with the law (just kidding, Mom), several awful haircuts, and just plain learning how to grow up together. She was the one who introduced me to B, the only boy I dated that she EVER approved of. Now, as you can see, we're also going through impending motherhood together. There is no one in the world I would want to be going through this with other than her. Whether it's been a shoulder to cry on when I couldn't fit into my last pair of real jeans anymore or simply someone to share heartbeat stats with after an appointment who actually understands why it's exciting, she has been there.
The reaction from friends when they found out we were both expecting was hilarious and said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Of course you're both pregnant - you've always done everything together." It's true, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, I can only hope and wish that someday you will have a friend in your life like Aunt J. You will need someone you trust to tell you if your cologne is too strong or your skirt is too short, and of course Momma won't know ANYTHING! Oh, having a friend like that will relieve so much of your angst in the years to come.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Warning: This Video Causes Uncontrollable Weeping
Have any of you seen this??
This just warms my little heart on a cold Chicago morning when my winter coat just baaaarely zipped over my belly.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, we've been saying your name a lot around our apartment lately. Daddy is always saying "hello, Baby" or "good morning, Baby" or "Mommy's feet stink, Baby." Unfortunately, to the D.O.G. of the house, your name sounds a whole lot like her name. So, she is constantly jumping up and getting in our bizness when we're trying to have a nice moment with you. I think she's just excited to meet you too. Here is what you need to know about Daisy. She loves socks and licking bare feet. She will love you forever if you rub just the right spot on her back. She has a few anxiety issues that she's working on, but really, who doesn't? She is the most loving creature your Dad and I have ever met. I think you're going to be best friends!
This just warms my little heart on a cold Chicago morning when my winter coat just baaaarely zipped over my belly.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, we've been saying your name a lot around our apartment lately. Daddy is always saying "hello, Baby" or "good morning, Baby" or "Mommy's feet stink, Baby." Unfortunately, to the D.O.G. of the house, your name sounds a whole lot like her name. So, she is constantly jumping up and getting in our bizness when we're trying to have a nice moment with you. I think she's just excited to meet you too. Here is what you need to know about Daisy. She loves socks and licking bare feet. She will love you forever if you rub just the right spot on her back. She has a few anxiety issues that she's working on, but really, who doesn't? She is the most loving creature your Dad and I have ever met. I think you're going to be best friends!
Monday, November 7, 2011
22 weeks - grow baby, grow!
Hi y'all! I feel like I have really popped over the past week or so. Still seem to be all belly for now, but I'm sure my emotional bagel and peach sorbet eating will catch up to me at some point.
That is one crazy high ponytail. You know what they say...the higher the hair, the closer to God! Also, I just had to share this outtake where Daisy decided to photobomb the picture. We've been practicing the "put your paws on Mommy's belly pose" and she decided to whip it out and make killer eye contact with the camera. What a ham.
That is one crazy high ponytail. You know what they say...the higher the hair, the closer to God! Also, I just had to share this outtake where Daisy decided to photobomb the picture. We've been practicing the "put your paws on Mommy's belly pose" and she decided to whip it out and make killer eye contact with the camera. What a ham.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, Da Bears are on Monday Night Football tonight! I have stretched my Brian Urlacher shirt across my belly and officially made you the littlest Bears fan out there. BEAR DOWN, little one!
Library Baby!
I'm working away on a paper that's due on Wednesday at the library right now. A guy I met in a class last year just walked past me carrying the most adorable little baby boy in a Baby Bjorn. That little guy is just smiling and kicking his feet - he is so happy to be at the library! Now they are walking up and down the aisles gathering books and baby boy is squealing with delight. I only hope my baby will be that excited surrounded by books. I would like nothing more than for cantaloupe to be a big book nerd like me. Yes, I'm weird. Pre-pregnancy, when my mind was actually working, I loved school, taking classes, doing my course readings, participating in debates, going to the library for entire days, etc. Is it too much to ask that our kid takes after me in that department?
I can't get over how cute this kid is - I can just see myself now walking around some library in the future with a baby strapped to my chest working on my Doctorate. Ha - just kidding - B, is probably shooting himself right now.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, I cried over getting a B+ on a paper last week. That is ridiculous. I will never put the type of pressure I put on myself on you. If you get straight C's in school but kick some butt at making grilled cheese or painting self portraits using only your feet, I will be overjoyed. I only want you to find something that makes you happy. Hopefully for the near future, Daddy and I will be that something :-)
I can't get over how cute this kid is - I can just see myself now walking around some library in the future with a baby strapped to my chest working on my Doctorate. Ha - just kidding - B, is probably shooting himself right now.
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, I cried over getting a B+ on a paper last week. That is ridiculous. I will never put the type of pressure I put on myself on you. If you get straight C's in school but kick some butt at making grilled cheese or painting self portraits using only your feet, I will be overjoyed. I only want you to find something that makes you happy. Hopefully for the near future, Daddy and I will be that something :-)
Big Mistake
Yesterday was a blustery day in Chicago that found me taking a four hour snugly nap in bed with Daisy and watching awful movies like "The Day After Tomorrow" (I cried when Jake Gyllenhaal's character couldn't convince the others to stay at the library instead of walking out into their impending doom) and "She's Too Young" (a Lifetime movie about a high school syphilis outbreak - thanks for the heads up on that one, Karl!). While flipping through channels trying to find my next cinematic treat, I made the big, no HUGE, mistake of stopping on the Discovery Channel and witnessing the horror of a woman giving birth.
If I had not seen the title of the show, I would have thought this woman was going through an exorcism, and not welcoming a baby into the world. The only sound I can even compare her screaming to is the absolute terror shrieks coming from hogs when they are forced into chutes to have their ears notched and nose rings inserted. I know the amount of people reading this that have actually experienced that sound is extremely small, so the rest of you will just have to take my word on this. IT IS AWFUL. So, of course, like any good train wreck, I could not take my eyes off of this "birth". I was absolutely frozen in bed unable to change the channel. (By the way, what woman in her right mind allows a camera crew to document this - I mean this was graphic, and she did not have a hair and makeup team there touching her up)
Luckily for me, the show was almost over, so I only was subjected to about 15 minutes of blood spurting and animalistic screaming. Shortly after the show was over and I blinked for the first time, B came into the bedroom to check on me. I told him I had two important things to tell him. First, Jake Gyllenhaal and his friends survived, and his dad even made it to New York to save them - again! Second, I've decided not to have this baby, and do you think it is possible to push our belly buttons together and let the baby live in you for a little while?
B realized that I was definitely a little cuckoo at this point, and I admitted that I had done the unthinkable and watched a live birth. Oh, the blood and the screaming and the scissors the doctor used to make a little snip and the baby's huge head...I mean HUGE head! He's trying to reassure me that he didn't have a huge head, but I KNOW he was a fat baby - he's just trying to keep me from running to Jewel/Osco for an entire gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream and 12 pack of Krispy Kremes at this point. (I eat my feelings, ok!)
Somehow, he managed to talk me down off the ledge and assure me that no matter how much blood and screaming and snipping there is, he will still love me after I push cantaloupe out of my body. I thanked him and then searched as far ahead as I could on the Discovery Channel's guide to make sure that show was not playing again anytime soon because I know it would just draw me back to it like a moth to the flame!
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, you are one whole pound this week - hopefully that scary spine of yours is getting some nice padding! Supposedly you can taste what I'm eating through the amniotic fluid, so I've been trying to introduce you to a wide array of worldly cuisine. You've had Greek, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican so far. Such a good excuse to go out to eat - I mean, of course I'm totally doing this for your benefit so you're not a picky eater, I'm getting absolutely no enjoyment out of it :-)
If I had not seen the title of the show, I would have thought this woman was going through an exorcism, and not welcoming a baby into the world. The only sound I can even compare her screaming to is the absolute terror shrieks coming from hogs when they are forced into chutes to have their ears notched and nose rings inserted. I know the amount of people reading this that have actually experienced that sound is extremely small, so the rest of you will just have to take my word on this. IT IS AWFUL. So, of course, like any good train wreck, I could not take my eyes off of this "birth". I was absolutely frozen in bed unable to change the channel. (By the way, what woman in her right mind allows a camera crew to document this - I mean this was graphic, and she did not have a hair and makeup team there touching her up)
Luckily for me, the show was almost over, so I only was subjected to about 15 minutes of blood spurting and animalistic screaming. Shortly after the show was over and I blinked for the first time, B came into the bedroom to check on me. I told him I had two important things to tell him. First, Jake Gyllenhaal and his friends survived, and his dad even made it to New York to save them - again! Second, I've decided not to have this baby, and do you think it is possible to push our belly buttons together and let the baby live in you for a little while?
B realized that I was definitely a little cuckoo at this point, and I admitted that I had done the unthinkable and watched a live birth. Oh, the blood and the screaming and the scissors the doctor used to make a little snip and the baby's huge head...I mean HUGE head! He's trying to reassure me that he didn't have a huge head, but I KNOW he was a fat baby - he's just trying to keep me from running to Jewel/Osco for an entire gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream and 12 pack of Krispy Kremes at this point. (I eat my feelings, ok!)
Somehow, he managed to talk me down off the ledge and assure me that no matter how much blood and screaming and snipping there is, he will still love me after I push cantaloupe out of my body. I thanked him and then searched as far ahead as I could on the Discovery Channel's guide to make sure that show was not playing again anytime soon because I know it would just draw me back to it like a moth to the flame!
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, you are one whole pound this week - hopefully that scary spine of yours is getting some nice padding! Supposedly you can taste what I'm eating through the amniotic fluid, so I've been trying to introduce you to a wide array of worldly cuisine. You've had Greek, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican so far. Such a good excuse to go out to eat - I mean, of course I'm totally doing this for your benefit so you're not a picky eater, I'm getting absolutely no enjoyment out of it :-)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Big City Baby
As you guys know, I was born and raised on a farm in the country. I might have titled this blog "Small Town Girl", but in reality, that small town was still a good car ride away. In the summer I played in the sand pile, ate fresh vegetables out of a garden in the backyard ( I didn't eat canned green beans from a store until college!), and spent Saturday afternoons eating lunch with my dad and all his farmer friends at the local diner. I could walk out into our yard and hit a baseball as far as I wanted without hitting anything but a corn field or a barn, and my first time behind the wheel of a vehicle was at the age of 10 because somebody had to help and I was the only one left. It sounds like an idyllic childhood, for me, it was. I'm sure my mom will tell you there were days when I wouldn't come out of my room because no one would drive me the 20 minutes to the mall to meet my friends, but what I remember the most was reading books up in my favorite climbing tree and riding snowmobiles on the many days when snow and wind had made it impossible to leave the house any other way.
One of my biggest fears about bringing this baby into our world is not the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing in a big city where I don't even have experience being a kid! I'm an expert at making dolls from hollyhocks and going on nature walks with a walking stick I picked up out of the yard - do city kids like this sort of thing? I feel like I need to observe the neighborhood kids and see what they do all day. I'm sure no one would call the police on me if I sat in the corner of the neighborhood park with my binoculars, right? What?! It's just research!
I'm sure we'll figure it all out - I mean B did grow up in the suburbs, so he has a little more city action under his belt than I do. Also, how cool is it going to be for cantaloupe to grow up visiting the Chicago Children's Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Cubs games, and eating Chicago style pizza? Chicago is going to be his or her hometown! I'm jealous just for the shear ease with which he/she will be able to answer the question "where are you from"? "West Point, a little town in Indiana outside of Lafayette which is right across the river from Purdue University", doesn't just roll off your tongue, you know? Most people's eyes just sort of glaze over after the first part and assume I meant West Point the United States Military Academy. Cantaloupe will just get to say "Chi-town represent!" Is it weird to be jealous of my unborn child?
Chicago, it's cantaloupe's kind of town!
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, I am 21 weeks along right now, and you are the size of a banana! I am currently not eating bananas because of this, and I also just sang Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" to remember how to spell banana. "Let me hear you say, this sh*t (PARENTAL CENSOR) is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S." Ok, no pearls of wisdom today from Momma. Momma needs to go home and do some yoga and recenter herself and eat like five handfuls of leftover Halloween candy. Namaste.
One of my biggest fears about bringing this baby into our world is not the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, but that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing in a big city where I don't even have experience being a kid! I'm an expert at making dolls from hollyhocks and going on nature walks with a walking stick I picked up out of the yard - do city kids like this sort of thing? I feel like I need to observe the neighborhood kids and see what they do all day. I'm sure no one would call the police on me if I sat in the corner of the neighborhood park with my binoculars, right? What?! It's just research!
I'm sure we'll figure it all out - I mean B did grow up in the suburbs, so he has a little more city action under his belt than I do. Also, how cool is it going to be for cantaloupe to grow up visiting the Chicago Children's Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Cubs games, and eating Chicago style pizza? Chicago is going to be his or her hometown! I'm jealous just for the shear ease with which he/she will be able to answer the question "where are you from"? "West Point, a little town in Indiana outside of Lafayette which is right across the river from Purdue University", doesn't just roll off your tongue, you know? Most people's eyes just sort of glaze over after the first part and assume I meant West Point the United States Military Academy. Cantaloupe will just get to say "Chi-town represent!" Is it weird to be jealous of my unborn child?
Chicago, it's cantaloupe's kind of town!
xoxo
AK
p.s. Baby, I am 21 weeks along right now, and you are the size of a banana! I am currently not eating bananas because of this, and I also just sang Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" to remember how to spell banana. "Let me hear you say, this sh*t (PARENTAL CENSOR) is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S." Ok, no pearls of wisdom today from Momma. Momma needs to go home and do some yoga and recenter herself and eat like five handfuls of leftover Halloween candy. Namaste.
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