29 Weeks

 29 Weeks: Baby O is the weight of a butternut squash  

He weighs 2.5 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long head to toe.  This week his lungs and muscles are continuing to mature and his head is growing bigger for his developing brain.
*It looks like I have red/purple highlights in the top of my hair but the setting sun did something weird to my hair this week- no new color to report!

How far along? 29 Weeks... bye bye to the 20s!

Total weight gain? 23 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still just in pants but my first oldnavy.com order just arrived when I got home from work tonight, yay!  I got 7 tops and 1 new pair of skinnies for $88 thanks to a 30% off coupon last week!!!  I refuse to pay full price on these maternity clothes I'll only wear for a few more months!

Stretch marks? None right now

Sleep? Ehhh. I wake up everytime I need to move onto a different side.  This side sleeping is already getting old and we still have 11 more weeks.  What I wouldn't give to sleep on my back or tummy right now!
Best moment this week? We only worked 4 days last week even though it was our first week back.  We each took the day off on Friday for my glucose test (really not as bad as people said), to visit my grandpa in Yates Center, and then head back to Great Bend so Trent could help tile a bathroom for his parents.  As crazy as it sounds... it was our last trip to GB without the baby.  NUTS!!
Miss anything? Sleeping on my tummy or back.
Food cravings? Nothing new this week.

Anything making you queasy/sick? Not a thing

Gender? Little man :)
Labor Signs? Nope, thank goodness!
Symptoms? The two usuals- heartburn and back pain.

Belly button in or out? Still barely in- it's hanging on as long as it can.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? I officially had my first meltdown last Wednesday and as embarrassing as it was, I promised myself to document everything so I wouldn't forget...  That night, I had just gotten out of the shower and was putting lotion on when I saw a varicose/spider vein on my calf.  My baby center app had mentioned that could happen, especially to people who are on their feet all day at work like I am, but I must've been in denial that I would get them.  I tried not getting worked up about it but Trent saying, "It's no big deal, that's just part of it" pushed me off the meltdown ledge.  I went downstairs to try and hide being upset but it did no good.  Trent could hear me crying and came down to this scene- on the couch, in my robe, fuzzy slippers, wet hair in a towel, bowl of ice cream in hand, laptop on lap, sobbing. All he get out of me was an incoherent sentence he claims went like this: "Old Navy... chocolate... sale... fat... order tonight... can't stop.. ugly... 30%."  How the poor guy didn't burst out laughing immediately is beyond me.  Somehow, he consoled me, told me to take my time online shopping, and probably went and laughed in private.  It really is like people say!  I know I sounded crazy/irrational/melodramatic... but I just couldn't stop crying.  Let's hope that doesn't happen again- other than that night I've been my normal self :)
Looking forward to? The fabric for the nursery came in this last week and I'm so excited for my mom to make the curtains and for Lora to make the bedding!!!
Daddy moment?   Gotta give the guy props for handling his first preggo wife meltdown.  Glad both him and I can laugh about it now!

28 Weeks- 3rd Trimester!

 28 Weeks: Baby O is the weight of a Chinese cabbage  

He weighs 2 1/4 pounds and is 14.8 inches long.  This week little man can blink his eyes and now has eyelashes. He can see light through the womb, is developing billions of neurons in his brain, and is adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world!

How far along? 28 Weeks/7 Months/3rd Trimester!!!

Total weight gain? 22 pounds
Maternity clothes? Still just in pants

Stretch marks? None right now

Sleep? I tossed and turned a lot this last week :(  I also had to sleep two nights in the guest room cause Trenton had the flu BAD and wanted me to stay away from his germs.
Best moment this week? So many to pick from- we had our NYE party, we went and picked out the carseat/stroller thanks to Grandma Geneva's generous gift, we did some nursery projects (forgot to take pics so I'll do that next week), and I started Baby O's scrapbook with my new Project Life kit.  But the best moment of the week was last night in bed when Trent and the baby were high fiving back and forth.  Trent had his hand on my stomach like normal, feeling him wiggling around before bed.  But on one of his kicks, Trent pushed back and Baby O started pushing back like crazy to him.  It startled us both so much since that hadn't happened before- and it was a completely different sensation.  They kept at it and Trent just lit up- his first father/son high fives.  I melted :)
Miss anything? Nothing!
Food cravings? Nothing new this week.

Anything making you queasy/sick? Not a thing

Gender? Little man :)
Labor Signs? Nope, thank goodness!
Symptoms? Heartburn sucks and my back now hurts randomly throughout the day, but especially at night.

Belly button in or out? Still barely in- it's hanging on as long as it can.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? Still no mood swings, just overall full of joy!  I still don't feel like I have the crazy pregnancy hormones yet- I just feel like normal Kala.  Do they come out later for some women? 
Looking forward to? Is it sad if I'm super excited for Sean's season of The Bachelor that starts tonight?!
Daddy moment?   The daddy/son high fives definitely tops his list this week.  He's also been busy building Baby O a bookcase. Typical Trent always has something he's working on!

Our last NYE ever as just the 4 of us!

 With Jess... and our 1 week apart bumps of Baby girl Carlson and Baby boy O :)

 Trent was the real entertainment of the night this year at the party, especially when him and Searle got into a champagne spray war.  I stole this picture from Jess and she put it best, "no words necessary."  And for those of you who really know Trent...
1. Yes, his garage was super sticky the next day- floor, wall, cabinets, tool boxes, everything.
2. Yes, he asked what the heck happened and had to be reminded the next day it was all his doing hahaha.

 The party gang this year- but we missed everybody who couldn't make it due to sickness and weather!

 When I scrapbook, the dogs spend 99% of their day with me.  Harlee is in the chair... but can you spot Bentley?  I swear he's in there.  It's like a Where's Waldo?

 Trent and I also learned he's small enough to fit inside of Trent's outside/work boots.

These two really are BFFs.  I spotted them snuggling and had to sneak a pic.

 Bentley caught me though and woke up.  Love those dogs!

 For the third year in a row our family has decided to choose one word to live by for the year instead of making resolutions.  The theory is that you pick a word to apply to all aspects of your life, not just a single resolution.  I wrote more about it in these posts from here and here.

My past words have been Active in 2011 and Create in 2012.  Bet no one knew the real reason why I chose Create last year- to create a baby :) fooled everybody on that one!  This year I chose Embrace.  I thought of that word months ago but felt like another one might change my mind, but it never changed.  I picked it because...

- I want to embrace every single second of the last 12 weeks I have of hogging my little man in my tummy.  Selfish?  Yes.  But I have enjoyed almost every single second of being pregnant.  Me and the baby boy are a package deal right now and I love that every experience/feeling/movement is like a private conversation shared between just the two of us.  I'm sure I'll miss all his kicks and flutters when he makes his debut, but his appearance will more than make up for it!

-I plan to embrace these last 12 weeks of just Trent and I.  We've enjoyed it being just the two of us these last 6 years of being together... and I know that we're so thankful we waited to start a family because of all the T&K time we had first.

-I want to embrace every precious fleeting second once Baby O arrives.  Everyone tells you to enjoy every second because it will fly by and I know they are absolutely right.  I want to slow down and cherish every day and milestone we'll have together.  Work, social media, house chores, etc. will take a backseat for once in my life after that baby boy is here.

-I want to embrace all the changes... good and bad, big and small... that will impact our family in these next 12 months.  2013... I know you'll be our best year yet!

Trent's past words have been Inventive in 2011 and Motivation in 2012.  This year he really wanted to use the word Re-Invent... until I reminded him of his 2011 word haha.  Instead we brainstormed together a list of words similar to it that he could choose from.  He went with Adjust since 2013 is sure to be a year of adjustments to life as we know it!

27 Weeks

27 Weeks: Baby O is the weight of a head of cauliflower.  
He weighs almost 2 pounds and is 14.5 inches long.  This week little man is waking and sleeping at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and sucking on his fingers. More brain tissue is developing and his brain is very active now.

How far along? 27 Weeks- last week of the 2nd trimester believe it or not.  We cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going!!

Total weight gain? 20 pounds
Maternity clothes? Only wearing maternity clothes in pants, but I did buy a maternity sweater and a tank top this week during our yearly "K-Jo After Christmas Shopping Day." :)

Stretch marks? None right now

Sleep? Still so so.  I had one night this week where I started my day at 3:30 a.m.
Best moment this week? Doing the baby registry at Babies-R-Us.  I am so thankful I did all my research before hand by talking to friends, reading books, blog suggestions, and pinterest ideas before going to the store.  I knew exactly what was on my checklist and it made it go so much smoother/quicker!  We are also extremely lucky that Ashley and Jerad are giving us a TON of Jeryn's baby stuff- changing pad, Boppy pillow, bouncer seat, swing, etc.  Jeryn told us she was happy to share with her baby.  She also informed me that she would be fighting me for the baby.  I'm not lying- those were her exact words.  Her and Ashley were having a conversation and Ashley was telling her that I probably wouldn't want to give up the baby and that Jeryn would have to fight me for him.  She took that literally... it was the cutest thing when she said, "Tia, I'm going to fight you for my baby."  She did later say we could at least share him. She's also adamant that his name is Scooter... thanks to her mother on that one ;)
Miss anything? Nothing!
Food cravings? Nothing new this week.

Anything making you queasy/sick? Not a thing

Gender? Little man :)
Labor Signs? No- I'd hope not.  But I did read that Braxton Hicks contractions could be starting soon.  This is all so surreal...
Symptoms? Same as last week- my nemesis the heartburn, and some mild back pain.  He also had the hiccups this week- too cute.

Belly button in or out? Also the same as last week- in bur not by much.
Wedding rings on or off? On- I hope I won't get too swollen and have to take them off.  But we had a friend who told me a horror story of having them cut off... so I'll definitely take them off when the time comes.
Happy or moody? Could I be any happier?!?
Looking forward to? Tonight's new year's party and working on some projects we started this weekend in the baby's room.
Daddy moment?   Our baby app told us last week that Trenton might be able to hear Baby O's heartbeat if he lays on my stomach.  We've tried it a couple times but so far no luck.  Poor Trent also has two very jealous dogs up in his face when he does this so that doesn't help much!

 My baby belly blocking the tree.

 

Some more of Baby O's Christmas presents I forgot to post last week.  The Ruscos gave him his first set of DD's- and it even matches one of Trent's shirts!  If Baby O is anything like his daddy then he'll be wearing lots of Dynamic Discs apparel in his future :)

 The navy/orange outfits are from Baby O's great grandma.  She couldn't resist since they matched the nursery.  The KU outfit is from one of my sweet students.  The Lil 'O is the back of the DD onesie.  Perfect moniker since Trent is "Big O."

Trent's job at Babies-R-Us- scan whatever I point to with the scanner gun.

 Got the checklist- ready to do work!

What the furbabies like to do when I blog these weekly posts.  Usually they lie in the chair together but Bentley was in a climbing mood today.

26 Weeks

Kisses under the mistletoe!

 26 Weeks: Baby O is the size of an English hothouse cucumber.  

He weighs 1 2/3 pounds and is 14 inches long.  This week little man's hearing is improving and he is inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid to help with the development of the lungs.  His little man "bits" are also descending into place- which takes 2-3 days.

How far along? 26 Weeks

Total weight gain? Haven't got on the scale since before we left town for Christmas.  I still was only up 15 pounds we left.  Doubtful that's still true after all the delicious family meals we've had over the last 5 days!
Maternity clothes? Only wearing maternity clothes in pants.

Stretch marks? None right now

Sleep? Some days it's fine and then some days it's crappy.  There have been two different nights where I've woken up at 2:30 and 1:30 a.m. and never have been able to go back to sleep.  Not liking it one bit!
Best moment this week? All of our Christmas celebrations with our families!
Miss anything? Not a thing, we are so fortunate and blessed.
Food cravings? Nothing new this week.

Anything making you queasy/sick? Not a thing

Gender? Little man :)
Labor Signs? No- I'd hope not!
Symptoms? The killer heartburn and some back pain. We've noticed I'm finding it harder to bend over and move as quickly as I'm used to- must be my uterus that is now the size of a basketball haha.

Belly button in or out? In... but it's completely flat now.  I feel like it could pop out any day now.
Wedding rings on or off? On- and so sparkly clean after having them cleaned/inspected over Christmas break :)
Happy or moody? Full of JOY!  I still haven't had a pregnancy meltdown... lucky for the hubby!
Looking forward to? New Year's Eve party with all of our friends!  I may be pregnant but I'm not missing out on my favorite party of the entire year!
Daddy moment?   Hearing Trenton talk/plan out Baby O's Christmas for next year was too cute.  He already said last night that Baby O's first Christmas is only 364 days away and he's already got gift ideas in mind.  I'm sure my boys will be having lots of fun together next Christmas.  Hard to believe we'll have a 9 month old at this time next year :)

Their last Christmas as our only babies.  Believe me they got spoiled beyond belief- a gazillion special treats, new toys, new collars, extra loving, etc.  They were well loved this Christmas!

 The December chalkboard... now to think something up (aka steal from pinterest) a design for the New Year's board!

 Back at home and heading out to Christmas Eve church and celebrations with my family.

 This year's Christmas tree!

This year's Hallmark ornament.

He's not even here yet and he's already getting presents from his parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, etc.  What a loved little man he is :)

25 Weeks

 25 Weeks: Baby O is the size of a rutabaga.  

He weighs a pound and a half and is 13.5 inches long! This week he is beginning to put on some baby fat and his wrinkled skin will start smoothing out so he'll look more like a newborn. He is also growing more hair and if we could see it we'd be able to tell its color and texture.

How far along? 25 Weeks

Total weight gain? Up 15 pounds
Maternity clothes? Only wearing maternity clothes in pants.

Stretch marks? Not yet (and hopefully never), I even had to go buy my second bottle of cocoa butter this weekend.

Sleep? Last night I tossed and turned and couldn't get comfy.  But other than that it's been awesome.
Best moment this week? Trent finished the dresser!  We sanded, taped, primed, painted 4 coats, and did 3 coats of poly.  It's currently curing in the basement but we LOVE it and can't wait to see it in the nursery.  I hope it's exactly what I had imagined in my head :)
Miss anything? No wine at our Favorite Things party was sad :( At least Jobeth's punch was yummy!
Food cravings? Nothing new this week.

Anything making you queasy/sick? Not a thing

Gender? Little man :)
Labor Signs? No- I'd hope not!
Symptoms? If my baby app on my phone tells me his hair is growing more this week I firmly believe it... especially if the old wives tale is true about lots of hair=heartburn.  I used to just get it just in the evenings/night but now it's all day long.  I'm about to go buy yet another bottle of Tums.  I have one jumbo bottle at home, one in the car, and one in my desk at school.  The bottle in my desk has 6 left and I'll probably go through that by lunchtime!

Belly button in or out? In- but it's looking pretty flat right now.  Granted it's always been shallow but I feel like it's getting close...
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? Happy to have such a happy/active little man inside me... but man the tragedy at Sandy Hook really got to me.  Watching the news is so disheartening and as a teacher/parent-to-be it just hits too close to home.
Looking forward to? CHRISTMAS/CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!! Yes, I am so excited about Christmas that I felt it deserved all caps :) I only work until Thursday this week and then we are headed back to the Bend!

Daddy moment?   Trent was spooning with me and was holding my tummy to feel little man moving around and then Baby O kicked his hand off my stomach.  It was one of the hardest ones yet and was directly on Trent's hand.  It shocked us both cause it came out of nowhere!

One of the other best moments last week was the Favorite Things Party I threw with Ashley and Jobeth.  We did it last year and loved it so much we had to do it again.  Here's the spread before the "shopping" happened.  Everyone always brings such unique stuff and this year was no exception.  All the gifts were so different and it gives you good ideas for anyone left on your shopping list. It also makes you want one of everything :)

 

Here's what I got this year:

1. Mason jar glass/straw and the BEST hairties ever from Wendy.  She wasn't lying when she said they don't leave a crease behind. I wore them all weekend and am officially obsessed.  Plus they are glitter- I can't resist the glitter!

 2. Santa cookie platter and peanut butter cookies from Dana.  This will be the perfect plate to set out every year for Baby O to leave Santa his cookies!

3. Corkcicle from Sarah.  You freeze this cork and use it as your wine topper too so that it keeps the wine chilled when you set it out.  So awesome!

I did a crappy job at taking pictures this year and should've given Ashley my camera.  I didn't even remember a group picture!!  What is wrong with me?!  I can't blame it on the wine this year so I'm blaming the baby ;)  I also forgot to take a picture of what I brought to the party, so sad. This year I brought some items from the store "Lush" at Oak Park.  It's a cool bath/body/beauty store and all their products are handmade and natural.  I stuck in a $10 gift card and then one of their "surprise" bath bombs.  Hope the 3 ladies who got my gift will enjoy them!  I know I LOVE that store!

24 Weeks

24 Weeks: Baby O is the size of an ear of corn.  

He weighs just over 1 pound (supposedly he gained 4 ounces in the last week) and is a foot long! His brain is growing quickly and his lungs are developing "branches" on his respiratory "tree."

 

How far along? 24 Weeks

Total weight gain? Up 13 pounds
Maternity clothes? Only wearing maternity clothes in pants.

Stretch marks? Nope- lathering on my cocoa butter

Sleep? Sleep is good except for waking up earlier than normal.  Guess I'm getting trained for what's to come :)  But 4 a.m. on a Friday morning was NOT cool in my book.
Best moment this week? We can actually SEE little man moving.  It is so cool/weird!  I lay on the couch a lot with my shirt pulled up just watching and waiting to see him move.  I'm also pretty sure he's started doing flips cause the movement feels like my stomach is doing somersault/flip flip movements instead of just the pushes I have been feeling.
Miss anything? We went to the annual Rusco sweater party this weekend and man I wanted to eat the vodka gummy bears so bad!  I think Wendy ate my share though :)
Food cravings? Nothing really- extremely thirsty though.

Anything making you queasy/sick? Nothing

Gender? Little man :)
Labor Signs? No- I'd hope not!
Symptoms? Ohhhh the heartburn... I'm loving those Tums right now. I literally feel like I could turn into a fire breathing dragon at any point some nights.

Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? Moody towards some of my high maintenance students- they are driving me BANANAS.  Is it Christmas break yet?!?  But happy other than that :)... and still no pregnancy meltdowns yet!
Looking forward to? Having a slumber party with J-Fe this weekend!!!  Also, the 2nd annual "Favorite Things" party on Wednesday night.

Daddy moment?   Trent is excited for yet another project- sanding/painting on the baby boy's dresser this week.  I'm pumped too!!!

 We hosted Trent's work's Christmas party on Saturday night and I finally erased our fall bucket list.  Not everything got done but I think we did pretty darn good!

 After the work party we tossed all the food in the fridge, threw on our ugly sweater attire, and jetted down 35 to Emporia for the annual Rusco Ugly Sweater Party.  We had a blast- so many stories and memories from the night.  And being the sober one I can remember them all too :)  I can honestly say I had just as much fun as I normally would and even made it to 2 a.m. Not bad for ole preggo!

 Being the judge in the guys vs. girls flip cup tourney just wasn't the same ;) I was really knocking back the water and orange soda.  Crazy, I tell ya!

 Always a guaranteed time with this crazy crowd!

 Even though it's blurry I had to post the picture to show the intensity of "Face Cookie." This Minute to Win It game is what led to some other shenanigans... Wendy and the fence will never be the same ;) Priceless!

 Sunday evening was pretty much spent like this.  Our dogs were worn out from their sleepover at the Gorneys.

We had free tickets that Trent won to Trans Siberian Orchestra... but a long weekend and a warm fireplace made all of us snuggle up for the night on the couch instead.  We couldn't bear to leave these fur faces lol!

23 Weeks

23 Weeks: Baby O is the size of a mango.  

He weighs just over 1 pound and is 11 inches long!  This week the baby has developed his sense of movement and his hearing has become more keen.  He hears what we hear, just muffled.

How far along? 23 Weeks

Total weight gain? Up 12 pounds
Maternity clothes? I think I officially had to hang up all the old jeans :(  I wore a pair on Friday and felt suffocated the entire day. I stocked up on some more maternity pants this weekend but there's just not as many styles to choose from which is annoying.  Oh well... it's only temporary. 

Stretch marks? Nope- lathering on my cocoa butter

Sleep? Sleeping like a baby :)
Best moment this week? Berg/Olivier dinner night... date night with my love... and the arrival of our nursery chair "Christian Gray"... he looks/feels amazing!
Miss anything? Choosing any style of clothing I want- the maternity sections at all of these stores suck! Plus all the maternity styles in pants are fitting me weird... why is everything so long?!? I'm growing outwards, not upwards people. After hearing that Kate Middleton is pregnant too I can't wait to see what maternity clothes she wears- love her style! I'd also love her clothing budget too... but I feel like that's probably not gonna happen.
Food cravings? I've started having nightly bowls of ice cream.  But I did this quite frequently before I was pregnant too so not sure if that counts as a pregnancy craving or not.

Anything making you queasy/sick? Nothing

Gender? Little man :)
Labor Signs? No- I'd hope not!
Symptoms? I feel like I'm looking bigger than 23 weeks.  When I see other pictures of girls at 23 weeks I feel like I'm quite larger haha.  But... I am carrying Trenton's son and he didn't get the nickname of "man child"  in the sixth grade for nothing.  Lord, help me....

Belly button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody? Full of joy!
Looking forward to? The annual Rusco sweater party this weekend!!!! Flip cup domination... even if it is with root beer :)
Daddy moment?  Trent had a blast this week playing with our sa-weet video monitor we got from a family friend as a gift.  This thing is cool- full color, automatic night vision, lullabies, 2 way communication... we've enjoyed this gadget way more than a 27 and a 29 year old should. We're so sad we even involved the dogs.  They didn't seem as impressed :)

Forgot to include this last week- it's the graph results of what my 5th graders predicted for Baby O.  They all came to school wearing the color of their prediction the last day before Thanksgiving- and only 2 forgot!  I took lots of group pictures but don't want to post other people's kids on the Internet for privacy.  Just know they looked cute and we even did a picture with all the kiddos giving a peace sign back to the baby.  It was the idea of one of my boys since they all saw the sonogram picture of Baby O doing it.  My class is too cute, sometimes.