3 months and Back to School!

Can you tell I'm back in school? A whole month has slipped by without any new updates! I went back to school August 5th and will have 2 complete weeks under our belt tomorrow. Time sure does fly (when you're staying so busy you forget to take pictures of the baby!) I had hoped to take pictures of my new room, but have been forgetting and now it's too "lived in" to do so!

Kalyn turned 3 months last week. Our new tricks are singing, grabbing things, and of course drooling up a storm. (On a side note, she's decided she only likes to poop on Thursdays and the daycare lady seems to be the lucky one to receive the "present." We just make sure we have extra clothes in the diaper bag!)

The guys got the corn cut, so now they're getting ready for fall crops to be ready. We got some much needed rain this week and last, so there is hope!

Hope you have a good week, month, couple of months (however long it will be until I post again)!

1st Family Vacation- Mackinac Island, MI

Kalyn turned 2 months old the day we left for Shipshewana (July 17th) and was hamming it up for the camera!

Shaun, Janet, Kalyn and I made it to KC Saturday night and got 3 hours out of the way. We started early Sunday morning for Shipshewana and made it there about 8 pm. Kalyn gave us quite the experience traveling with a baby. She traveled really well until the last hour. It was definitely time to get out of the carseat. Same story on the way home.

Janet and I were able to go with Sara to her doctor's appointment and were able to see Baby A and Baby B on the ultrasound! We shopped at the Shipshewana Flea Market on Tuesday and then headed to Mackinaw City, MI for our vacation.

We took the ferry to the island on Wednesday and Thursday. We rode a carriage around the island on Wednesday and toured the other roads on Thursday when we rode bikes around. We saw lots of horses (and manure), bikes, tourists, and fudge shops! If you just sampled a little fudge at each shop you'd probably gain 5 lbs. a day!

On Friday, we drove up to Ste. Ignacia (sp?) and to some of the other towns. Too bad we didn't have our passports and Kalyn's birth certificate b/c we were soooooo close to Canada! It was just across the water and some of us have never been! Next time we'll remember those.

We headed back to Shipshe on Saturday and then started out for home that afternoon. We made it almost to St. Louis and then it started pouring and we were all tired. We got back Sunday evening and were more than ready to get out of the vehicle!

Harvest Time!

We are officially done harvesting wheat!!!! It feels like it went quick, but I think that is due to the great harvesting weather and having a weekend in the middle. The guys might think differently, but I'm sticking to my story! It started off slow, but it was full-blown work time come Monday morning. My parents and grandparents came down to help, so Kalyn has been spoiled by many grandma's this week! Here are a few pics from Kalyn's first harvest...

Loading into the new semi

Daddy and his girl

Happy Father's Day!

We would like to wish a very Happy Father's Day to the new Daddy and Grandpa's out there! Here are some pics we took for the grandpa's and the pic for Shaun from Kalyn. I think she's saying, "Watch out, Daddy! I'm going to be playing with these very soon!"

4 inches of rain...

and harvest has been delayed. The guys had hoped to try to cut last Saturday, but then the humidity and rain had other plans for them. So, four inches of rain later, we are still on hold, but hoping for some HOT, WINDY weather in the next couple of days to dry things out. One of Shaun's fields is under water (so I hear) and the ground is pretty soupy. We need to take a drive and check out the fields, so Kalyn may experience her first jeep ride this evening.

Shaun and Kalyn watching Andy Griffith

Shaun and I were able to head to Topeka Saturday afternoon for a quick visit. We were able to eat dinner with my parents, brother and his family, grandparents and a couple that is considered part of the family. We were also able to enjoy church at Topeka Baptist (it's been WAY TOO LONG since we were able to go).

Kalyn turns 4 weeks old today and 1 month on Thursday. I can't believe how fast time flies!!!!! She's growing like a weed and dirtying laundry faster than I can wash it :0). She's focusing in and aware of the voices and people around her. It's so fun to watch her grow!

Growing Big!

Today is Kalyn's 3 week b-day and it doesn't seem like that's possible! I feel like she is growing a little everyday and that she is quickly outgrowing some of her clothes. Our goal: wear each outfit at least once! (And that may be difficult considering the number of outfits packed into her dresser drawers!!!!) So far, she is a very good baby! She sleeps A LOT and is only up a couple of times during the night to eat and usually falls right back asleep.

We are enjoying Kristen, Alan and Kinslie being around. Kinslie is still learning what "gentle" touches are, but enjoys stealing Kalyn's socks and crawling away as fast as she can. Kalyn and I made our first trip to Topeka with Kristen and Kinslie last week and we were able to have all three cousins together for the first time.

Harvest is quickly approaching. We were expecting them to start the end of this week, but we had a nice rain and a cool day, which may delay it a few days. It sure was nice to have the windows and doors open all day! Hopefully I'll find time to post pics of Kalyn's first harvest once it is underway!

1 Week Already!

I came into this world crying exactly 1 week from today and I just happen to be crying again! Happy 1 Week Birthday, Kalyn!!!! We love you so much!

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY

Kalyn Abigail

Our precious baby girl finally arrived on Monday, May 17th at 6:21 p.m. She weighed 9 lbs. and was 23 inches long- no wonder my belly was so big!!!! This was her due date and we were induced Monday morning. Around 5:30, the doctor broke my water and her cord came down next to her head. They were concerned about it being pinched during contractions, so they decided to go the c-section route. At this point it wasn't an emergency and they were going to give me an epideral while they got ready. When they couldn't get that in, and her stats were dropping, it became an emergency c-section. So Daddy and Mommy both missed the big arrival- Daddy had to wait upstairs and Mommy didn't come-to for another hour and a half. Thank goodness Daddy had his camera so Mommy could later see the moments she missed!!!

Bath time!

Kinslie meeting her cousin

Baby Update

Today we had a sonogram to check up on the baby's growth. She is still her big self and they estimated she weighs 8 lbs. 6 oz. Her head is still measuring in the 97th percentile, at 10 cm across. They don't want to induce because they say there is a better chance of delivering naturally if we don't. We can just hope she decides to come on her own (SOON!!!!) She was very active today and the tech said that she is taking up every inch of space I have. Her hinny was up in my rib cage. They did say that there was extra fluid so they want me to do a weekly sonogram in Moundridge to monitor it. Who knows, I may not have to have a sonogram if she decides to come early.

I plan on Friday being my last "official" day at school, because I wanted to get a sub set up, just in case. I have so much to do to make sure the room is ready for a sub and for the end of the year. But if she comes early, these things will just have to wait!

Here are a couple of other pics from today....

I'm so happy she has hair!!! I was really surprised to see it waving around on the screen since I haven't had heartburn. I'm just hoping it's not a mullet!

Here's a pic of her face, just waiting to come out!

Baby Showers

We've been blessed by two baby showers so far and feel like we are prepared for this baby to arrive! Our first shower was in Topeka two weekends ago. It was a combination family, friends, and church shower. It was a great weekend as we spent it with lots of family! Sara and Jason flew into Topeka on Friday night and my in-laws came to Topeka with us. We also lucked out and saw Kinslie being dedicated at church. Here's a pic of Kristen and I (notice the difference in belly size!)

Baby Blankets (my mom made the farm one, my grandma the darker pink, and Becky the other pink one)

Hooded towels, receiving blankets, burp rags, etc.

Lots of adorable clothes!

Toys and Books

Diaper bag, diapers, lotion, shampoo, etc.

Other baby things

Today, the ladies at work threw me a shower.

Me and my 40 cm belly- she's fully baked!

Mica's cute decorations!

Isn't it just adorable!!!!

Gifts from the shower

Thank you everyone! She can't wait to meet you!

A Small Glimpse

We had our sonogram today in Wichita and really didn't find out anything except that she is just going to be a BIG GIRL! Her estimated size is 6 lbs. 4 oz. (which puts her in the 92nd percentile- except for her head which is in the 97th percentile). They are not going to change my due date, but they want me to do the 1 hour glucose again (YAY!) and another sonogram in 4 weeks to monitor her growth. Maybe they'll decide to induce early if she still has a big head and is measuring big!?!

She was not very cooperative for the sonogram tech. This is the only pic that you can even make out what is in the picture and the tech had to work at that. She did not move AT ALL during the sonogram, which didn't make the tech too happy. She kept pushing on my stomach trying to get her to move, but this baby said "No way, I'm cozy in here!"

On a side note, Shaun had 2 of his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and is a little swollen still. He wanted all 4 pulled, but they were so impacted that it took 1 1/2 hours to get those out in small little chunks. So we get to set up another date to have the others pulled and go through this again.
Lesson learned: don't wait until you're 32 and your teeth are EXTREMELY impacted to get them taken out and do it under your parent's insurance!!!!

Rescheduled appointment =(

I was hoping to have an update after our sonogram on Thursday, but we didn't have a sonogram on Thursday. They called a few minutes before we were going to walk out the door and CANCELED on us! Let's just say I was "slightlly" irritated since I had taken the day off and Shaun had skipped a trip to the Oklahoma auction that could have been a profitable trip. We rescheduled for next Friday (the 2nd) since I have the day off. Shaun is having his wisdom teeth out the day before, so I hope he's up to another trip to Wichita. Evidently they are not that concerned, although my doctor said she wants to know why the baby is measuring big. So we could find out that the baby is due in 3 weeks or in 7 weeks. This delay doesn't help in my planning for school... do I need to think about sub plans or keep winging it from day to day????

3 hour glucose- YUCK!

Because the baby was measuring big the last time we were at the doctor, she ordered a sonogram, which showed the baby measuring 4 weeks ahead of schedule. Next step was a 3 hour glucose test, which I did yesterday. After drinking 100 grams of orange-flavored sugar water, I had my blood drawn 3 different times (+ the one before drinking the solution). My results came back "normal" with numbers of 137, 115 and 88. So I haven't talked to the doctor yet, but this tells me that the baby isn't measuring big due to gestational diabetes.... hmmmm. Could she really come 4 weeks sooner than we thought?

We have a sonogram scheduled for Thursday this week in Wichita. They are supposed to see what they think of this baby and we should find something out that afternoon. Of course they couldn't do it over spring break!

We went to Shipshewana last Friday and came home Wednesday. It was a good, relaxing trip. That will be our last trip up there without a little tag-a-long. I have a feeling our trips will take a little longer once she arrives!

Here's one of my projects from the week.... pics for the baby's room.

It's back to school on Monday... only 39.5 days of school left!

30 or 34 weeks?!?

Could the baby really come a month earlier than expected????? YIKES! I've measured big (4-5 cm larger than my week count) the last couple of doctor visits. The Doc ordered a sonogram to see why. I was borderline (technically flunked) on the glucose test. Numbers are supposed to be under 140 and mine was exactly 140. This could be one reason why I'm measuring big, as gestational diabetes babies are normally bigger. Other reasons could be too much amniotic fluid, more than one baby, or due date being off.

So today we had a sonogram. They ruled out the possibility of 2 babies (thank goodness!) and the tech didn't really say anything about too much amniotic fluid. All of the babies measurements (head, belly, and femur) measured 34 weeks and some number of days. It showed the due date as April 18 and the baby weighing just over 5 pounds.

Still not sure what to think because our sonogram at 6-7 weeks gave us the due date of May 17 and our BabyWaves sonogram was just a couple of days before that and the earlier sonograms are usually the most accurate. I'm supposed to talk to the doctor tomorrow to see what she thinks.

One thing we do know for sure.... she's a GIRL! She was very uncooperative for the sonogram tech as she was trying to get a good pic of her face. We were finally able to make out somewhat of a face but didn't really get any clear pictures. Hope this doesn't mean she is going to be camera shy, because her mommy loves to take pictures!

28 Weeks and Counting....

Today marks 28 weeks and the beginning of the 3rd trimester!!!! People have been bugging me for a belly shot, and this is as close as they're going to get.

A Little of Everything

Here's an update on our lives....

• Baby- I'll be 26 weeks on Monday and Baby is moving quite a bit lately. We finished our prenatal classes today. She has quite the wardrobe already and we are still debating the name: Kalyn or Katie. I'm thinking Kalyn is going to win out (no matter what my MIL says).
• House- We FINALLY got new carpet this week! It was quite the undertaking to carpet our main level and all three bedrooms upstairs. There was lots of furniture to move and LOTS of stuff to go through and find a place for. I'm loving it!
• Shaun- He's been busy working on the HONEY-DO list, which included sheetrocking one of the bedrooms and the downstairs stairway before getting carpet. He hasn't gone to too many auctions lately, due to the bad weather and the Honey-do's.
• Kaitlen- Busy, busy, busy with school. Between planning for everyday classroom learning, preparing state assessment review stuff, grading papers, and working on 3 quilts for MCC, I haven't had much down time. You can check out our quilts on my school blog (which is linked on the side).
• Max and Chunkers (the Boys, as Shaun calls them)- Shaun and I have differing views on the enjoyability of these two cats. They are Shaun's babies and he enjoys petting and holding them. I on the other hand find them to be quite the annoyance and don't spend much time interacting with them. The only interaction I have is when the climb in my car as soon as the door is open and I have to get them out, or when they dart in the house as I'm carrying an armload of groceries or school stuff. They had to be locked up when the carpet guys were here, because they would have been underfoot all the time.

Sorry this isn't a very interesting post, just thought I should update a little.

Kinslie Time

Saturday, Alan and Kristen had a Christmas party and my parents were at a hockey game, so Shaun and I got to watch little miss Kinslie. We had lots of cuddle time and got to see her roll around on the floor, while babbling lots of stories. I got a couple pics of her airplane mode (as many as my belly could take being down there on the floor with her) and of course some smiles!

As far as our little one, she's kicking a lot more often and will probably learn all these tricks from her cousin. Our due date was 4 months from yesterday, which is very hard to believe!!!

22 weeks and counting!

Since finding out that we're having a baby girl, I've decided that I need to stay away from the Carter's outlet in Newton. However, I don't think my mother-in-law has figured that out! Our baby has quite the wardrobe already. I've been beginning to feel her move when I'm sitting still and Shaun and I are still in disagreement of her name. We each have one that we like, so we'll see who wins out in the end! And who knows, we may decide to go with something completely different by the time she gets here. For now, the debate is between Kalyn (pronounced Kay-Lynn) and Katie (0r some form of spelling)/Kate. I want the first, while Shaun wants the second. I never really liked the name Katie and didn't like it when people attempted to give that to me as a nickname. I'm still using the argument that I'll be filling out the birth certificate so I get to pick!

We had our monthly doctor's appointment this afternoon and found out that Christmas was not so friendly on the scale. I say, "Oh well, at least I have a reason for gaining weight over the holidays and I don't have to feel too guilty about it!" Hopefully I'll begin getting use out of the treadmill we bought in the near future. I'm just so tired after I finally get home from work, that exercise is the LAST thing on my mind.

Shaun has been working on my honey-do list this week and last. Before we got carpet, I wanted to repaint one of the bedrooms, which quickly turned into "Well couldn't we sheetrock the walls and put a closet in the room???? It won't be that hard." He's ready to paint and loving me even more! We found beeeeaautiful wallpaper under the paneling and I'm glad it's hidden under the sheetrock! I'll post pics when it's complete.