Please Vote! :)

Based on this "lovely" (not) picture of me at 18 weeks, please vote if you have a second and let me know if you think it's a boy or a girl!!

I'm DYING of suspense! I can't take the suspense! So I posted a blog poll to see everyone's thoughts :) :)

We find out on August 21 at 2:30 p.m. so I will post to the blog VERY SOON after we know! :)

By the way, it definitely can't be twins based on the two ultrasounds I've had so far...but I have been asked several times if it is twins when people find out how far along I am (not a good sign). LOL.

Love you guys!!!
Ann & "Kevin"

Lil' Yam

Awwww...the sweet babe's a sweet potato!! I'm 18 weeks this weekend. I can feel that "Kevin" is super busy right now kicking and swimming and hopping around in there. It is soooooo cute!!! I love being able to know he's (or she's) okay. Yay!

Love,

~Us

Omigosh here is the bun in the oven!!! Yikes! I'll be like 100 times this huge by January!

17 Weeks

Looking twenty-seven weeks at seventeen weeks has it's benefits, I'm sure. I can't think of any right now...but I'm sure there are some. :) I guess if you're into shocking people and see their jaws hit the floor, it's a benefit. The convo goes like this:

Them: "OMG!! You are sooooooooo cute! Congratulations!!! Yay! When are you due?"

Me: "January 3rd"

*crickets while they do some quick math followed by shocked looks*

Them: "Wow! You are really showing already!!"

Hahaha. It's pretty cute and funny! I'm just happy I'm getting to the point where people expect me to be showing. Yay! At least by getting huger, I know (hope, pray, etc) the baby is getting bigger and appears to be thriving. In the mornings though, when I wake up sore and try rolling over (OMG IT'S GONNA GET SOOOOO MUCH WORSE), I seriously question why Kurt didn't mention his kid would be the size of Frankenstein. ;)

So, to be honest, I'm having a HORRIBLE week. We have to put one of our beloved doggies to sleep on Friday. I will be blogging about it and posting his pic on my random blog sometime soon. I'm totally heartbroken and hating life this week but staying happy only about the baby and Belle's new awesome school. I just found out they only have 13 kids in the third grade classes. Granted, her other school rocked it as well...I loved it...but this will be a nice change for her. I will not miss her super-diva friend from hell :) but she has many other cute, adorable, sweet friends that I will miss for her.

Here is the 17 week babycenter.com update, for any interested :)

How your baby's growing:Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.See what your baby looks like this week.Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.
How your life's changing:Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. Try to avoid situations with a high risk of falling. Wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble; trauma to your abdomen could be dangerous for you and your baby. You'll also want to be sure to buckle up when you're in a car — keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly, drawn snugly across your hips, and also use the shoulder harness, which should fit snugly between your breasts.You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Using over-the-counter lubricating drops may help. If your contact lenses become uncomfortable, try wearing them for shorter stretches of time. If you still have discomfort, switch to glasses until after you give birth.

Oh God, please don't take away my contacts!! I'm super blind and HATE wearing glasses. I've worn contacts so long, I cannot stand not seeing out of my peripheral vision, like around the glasses. I don't know how people do it!

Okay, mucho love from all of us!
~US :)

*boomboomboom*

So, yay! The midwife was able to find the heartbeat right away this afternoon. Such a relief. It was so cute!! I am just beyond happy with this whole baby gig, even though for YEARS I swore I'd never have any more kids...that I was a one kid show, but now look at all of us! :)

Sooooo, I love midwives. Today, she told me my "weight is beautiful" and everything looks great. I think one reason they are so awesome is because they totally lie and make you feel like a million. She totally said this after I about passed out in shock while on the scale that has the HUGEST digital read in the world. I swear it's bigger than the revolving sign on the top of the Northwest Bank Tower. BUT, "beautiful" works for me! Bring on the mac & cheese! (I'm waiting for it as I type - lol).

Tomorrow we're going to a baseball game in Milwaukee. Traumatized I won't get to rendez-vous with Wrigleyville this year but I AM GOING next year. Milwaukee will be awesome though, especially because I've never been there! On the roster for Mw is me, Kurt, my dad (it's his bday tomorrow), Belle (in the place of Patty b/c their dog is el sicko) and our friends Bill and Monica. Bill grew up in Mw so he knows the ropes. We're tailgating for a couple hours before the game, then the game starts at 6pm. I won't be eating any of the brats we are grilling (ew) but I will having some veggie doggage. YUMMY!!

Mucho love to all!!

~Ann

Sweet Sixteen

Yay! FarmBaby is 16 weeks this week, actually almost 17 by the time I'm posting this one. So sorry, I was waiting to get a picture of my "bump" (it's more like a mountain) to included in this post but it hasn't happened. Belle's been tumbling it up at summer gymnastics and Kurt's been back and forth to the farm and I've been busy eating so we haven't gotten a few things done this week that we intended...pic included.


Tomorrow we have our dr. appointment. :) I just love going to the doctor and it seems like it takes forever between appointments. Hopefully, we'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat loud & clear on the first try and suffer no scares like Week 12. Then, in four weeks, at our next appointment, we'll be able to find out if it's a bambino or a bambina :) <3>

See below for what FarmBaby is up to...

Much love to everyone!!!

~Us

Really?

OMG, as a pretty well-traveled preggo, you know you've sunk to an all time low when you actually think (and actually believe) the words: "OMFG, this Casey's pizza is the best thing I've ever eaten in my entire life." While you're driving...AND EATING it (omg). And you normally don't even like pizza! And you, in fact, have never had (or wanted) Casey's pizza before even though you've lived in the QC your whole life. Yet you're eating it and driving. I am totally turning into preggo trash. HELP!

So in general (no pun intended), I don't really like pizza, which makes this very true story even more unbelievable. This is because I'm a vegetarian. You can only eat so many cheese pizzas or veggie pizzas in your life before you'd rather just eat Twizzlers for dinner (rainbow ones ONLY).

I TOLERATE pizza. like when other people want to order it or I'm forced into it, but I'd rather be eating Thai, like times one million %. Kurt's parents do like to hit up this place in Walcott that has Happy Joe's pizza, so when we go there, I order the Taco Little Joe sans beans and meat. I mainly do this for the crunched up chips on top of it. Sure, I could cut out the middle man, save $10 and hit, again, CASEY'S (omg!) on the way outta town and swoop some Taco Doritos, but something about the warm crunchedupness plus the taco sauce is pretty good, I'll admit.


So I've already been borderline preggo trash since last week when I acquired my Mac & Chz addiction, but at least I wasn't eating it in the car. No, not homemade or from Hy-Vee (yuck) deli. Kraft, baby. Boxed!! I tried to be a little higher class and con Kurt into making me the shells & cheese a couple times. Then I said eff it and bought like fourteen boxes of boxed old school Mac & Chz. WTH IS GOING ON WITH ME - I don't eat eggs so normally I will not eat egg noodles. Or powdered cheese. Ew. And I definitely would take issue with 4 tblsp butter plus 1/4 cup of cow's milk! OMG! I am eating dried and non-dried dairy, and APPARENTLY, I also know the recipe by heart now. Intervention, plz.

So I can't even tell you the last time I was jonesing for some boxed mac & chz. I'm thinking circa sixth grade when my mom hadn't been to the store and I was required to make lunch for me and my bro. He would only eat the WHEELS but that is a whole different story. It was either make the mac or watch the brother roll Wonderbread into a huge packed-down ball and eat it like an apple. Little brothers are funny. Point being, I don't normally eat mac & cheese yet I'm sure the lady checking me out at Wal-Mart assumed I ran a 20-kid daycare with nothing on the menu but Kraft. She didn't say anything though...as she scanned box after box after box.

Anyway, Enter Facebook. I filled out this lil survey last week that had 50 random questions. One was something like: do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? My answer: Thai. I don't really like either and would never go out of my way to get either. BUT ever since posting that, I've kind of been wanting pizza but trying to ignore. Tonight I had a chiro appointment so I called in a lil mushroom pizza to Casey's across the street. No, I'm not lying. Anyway, omg was it good...amazing actually. Why is food sooooooooooooo good when you're pregnant, even if it's from the same place you buy gas?? I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo starving by the time I picked it up, I thought I'd die for sure. Hence the reason I ate a piece (fine, two!) on our ultra-long drive home. Granted I was totally hitting the trough on the blood sugar scale BUT no excuse. Clearly this pregnancy is clouding my sense of good food and good judgment and all-around classiness. Either that or I've been missing out not eating Casey's pizza all these years. For reals.

So yes I'm still huge, meaning my stomach. Stomach is all baby. Don't worry, I won't complain about my a$$...I know why that is getting bigger (see all paragraphs above). LOL!

What happened to my days of craving fruit at all hours of the night? Haha.

Again, HELP! I'm about to apply for jobs at Casey's so the pizza and I can be together 24/7.

Love,

US :)

Fifteen!

Happy Anniversary #1 (yesterday) to my wonderful husband!!

As for farmbaby...

We made it to 15 weeks. Yay! Sweet farmbabe. Who thinks it's a boy? Who thinks it's a girl? We can find out in about 5-6 weeks. Kurt's decided he thinks he wants to find out...but we'll see :)

Today, I had a complaint you couldn't see "me" in the last blog pic. So true! Here's a pic from tonight, taken by big sis Bella. Brace yourself. LOL! Again, sorry for the blackberry pic. I still need to go to Camera Corner and get a cable for my real camera! Okay, no more stalling...here it is, as promised:

OMG, I'm only 15 weeks!!! I wasn't this big with Bella baby at 20 weeks. Yikes!

Here's what sweet babe is up to lately, courtesy of BabyCenter.com:

Your pregnancy: 15 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

How your life's changing:You've probably gained about 5 pounds by now (a little more or less is fine, too) and are well into the swing of your pregnancy, but you may still be surprised by an unexpected symptom now and then. If your nose is stuffed up, for instance, you can probably chalk it up to the combined effect of hormonal changes and increased blood flow to your mucous membranes. This condition is so common, there's even a name for it: "rhinitis of pregnancy." Some pregnant women also suffer nosebleeds as a result of increased blood volume and blood vessel expansion in the nose.If you're having amniocentesis, it'll most likely happen between now and 18 weeks. This test can identify hundreds of genetic and chromosomal disorders. If you're getting very anxious while waiting for the results, it may help to know that most women who undergo amniocentesis get good news about their babies — bringing welcome relief from their worries.Don't be surprised if you and your partner are feeling a little stressed out these days. Many pregnant couples worry about their baby's health and how they'll handle the changes ahead. But with physical discomforts on the wane and energy on the rise, this is also a wonderful trimester for most women.

I'm at the stage where I'm like OMG, is my body SERIOUSLY creating a human...really? It's totally surreal at times, especially when I read things like the babycenter updates. I just put my hand on "Kevin" (my huge tummy) and wish my life away to Jan. 3rd :) It definitely reminds me how lucky we are to have Belle and "Kevin" and makes me so sad for people who try soooo hard but can't experience pregnancy for themselves. And it makes me sooo sad for the sweet babies that have mommies that don't want them and don't care. Anyway - preggo melancholiness done! Back to the funny stuff like what I've been eating (aka everything but meat)!

Well, my fruit midnight munches have all but subsided. I relapse now and again but no more getting up at 12:00 a.m. or 1 a.m. and eating peaches. This was probably healthy, food-wise, but preggo mama needs her sleep. I still enjoy eating random things! For example, I just ate some au gratin pototoes sprinkled with jalenpeno chips, and now Belle and I are going to make Whitey's Peppermint ice cream cones. LOL. I may have a zesty pickle spear (or two) afterwards, who knows! :)

Mucho love to y'all!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Us

Yay to FarmBaby! Now we're 14 weeks. Check out this super scary pic:

Lol, no, I did not say that we have 14 weeks TO GO. I know the picture is giving you the "OMG" reaction but truly, I'm only 14 weeks, meaning I have 26 weeks TO GO. So you're right: definitely O.M.G.!!! I say this every day so don't worry, I am not offended. Today Belle said (super innocently) that it's okay if I look like a swallowed a watermelon, because I am bringing a new life to this earth. Isn't that so cute and sweet? Then she went on to ask me if I watched Dr. Phil today...assuming that I had, in fact, watched it (hilarious since I have NEVER watched it). I informed her no, because I was AT WORK, which is why she was at her grandma's, apparently watching Dr. Phil. lol. She dramatically explained that a "FIF-TEEN year old got PREG-NANT" and had to watch a robot baby because Dr. Phil made her. If she couldn't handle it, she was going to have to give the real baby up for adoption. I asked her what happened and she said she wasn't sure because she went outside to play with the cats. Haha.

Anyway, so yes, I am totally huge for being 14 weeks. I realize I'm short and it has nowhere to go but I'm like 10 times as big as I was with Belle and I haven't grown or shrunk since then. It seems like everyone says you show earlier with your second baby and while this is probably true, I'm sure I'm an extreme case. Ha! :)

On a lighter note, here is what babycenter.com has to say about this week :)

Awwww! Sweet babe!!!

Mucho love to everyone!!

~Us