Hump Day, Bump Day!

Ahhh, week 18. I'm now just 2 weeks shy of the halfway point, which is so terribly hard to believe. Time is flying by, yet moving at the speed of molasses at the same time. How can that be?

Here's a look at my ever-growing self. Today you get a special treat - me with a shirt on! (That sounds worse than it really is, doesn't it?)





"Congratulations, Kristi! You're 18 Weeks Pregnant. Your baby measures 5 to 5.6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 5.25 ounces. The rapid growth spurt is tapering off, but reflexes are kicking in. He can yawn, stretch and make facial expressions, even frown. Taste buds are beginning to develop and he can now distinguish sweet from bitter. The baby can suck and swallow, and he may even get the hiccups. The eyes have become sensitive to light, so if a bright light is shined on your belly, baby will probably turn away. Your uterus, about the size of a cantaloupe, can be felt just below your navel. You're most likely feeling the baby move at this time. A mid-pregnancy ultrasound may be performed between now and 22 weeks to assess your baby's growth and development and to verify the due date. If the baby is in the right position, the ultrasound may even be able to determine the baby's sex."

I'm really starting to feel better and am so thankful for that! The headaches and evening death wishes have passed, but extreme heartburn has taken over. Soon, it won't even be worth it to eat my precious chips 'n salsa. A sad day, indeed. I'm pretty sure I haven't felt WIP move yet, but I'm told that it's hard to tell the difference between other pregnancy ailments (read: gas) and baby's movements this early.

I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving and spending time with family. I think the most exciting part is that I don't have to pack my Thanksgiving "fat pants." Maternity pants will do the trick!

WIP's a Very Popular Little Girl/Boy

As of this morning, WIP's blog has had over 1,100 visitors since our first post on Oct. 16. Not bad for just a little over a month of activity! :) And, I'm pleased to report that as a result of my expert stalking abilities, we have visitors from all over the country, including:

• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Arizona
• Wisconsin
• North Carolina
• California
• Ohio
• Illinois
• New York
• Indiana
• Pennsylvania
• Orgeon
• Florida
• Connecticut (a.k.a. Columbus and/or Cleveland...right, David?) :)
• Kentucky
• Maryland

WOW! I can definitely figure out some of the non-Michiganders. Hello to Mark, Katy, Kristi & Charles, David, Lindsay & Mike, Julie & Paul (and Charlie!), Aunt Teresa, Jen, Brooke & Justin (Trace & baby #2, too!)...but some of the others befuddle me. Well, whoever you are, welcome to our blog and I hope you come back often. I've got lots to say!

WIP Gets a New Auntie!

WOO HOO!! What a weekend! I'm happy to announce to the blogosphere that Kyle proposed to Jill on Friday night (debatably very early Saturday morning) and she said yes! It was the perfect evening - he brought her family in from the West side of the state and Kelli, Joe, Mom, Dad and I were all there, too. Mom had chocolates made that said "Kyle & Jill" that were a big hit - especially with Joe. If you're wondering why he's noticeably absent in all the pics it's most likely because he was hiding in the back of the church eating all the goodies. :)

As an uber proud big sister, I'm also happy to report that Kyle did a BANG UP job with the ring. Things were so crazy I didn't even think to get a picture of just the ring, but I'll try to get one soon. As a general idea, it's an oval center stone surrounded by two rows of swirly pave-style diamonds. Um, yeah. It's awesome.

The mayhem after:

Some family pics:

So, Auntie Jill - welcome to our crazy little family! We love you so much and are so excited to add one more to the bunch.

Miracle of the Moment.

Today I've decided to get a bit sappy. Forgive me, it's the hormones. Ask anyone in my family - I'm usually quite snarky.

Anyway, I was jamming to my iPod yesterday, trying my darndest to avoid the real world (read: work, chores, to-do lists, etc.) and Steven Curtis Chapman helped to snap me out of my trance. His song "Miracle of the Moment" was ringing in my ears and the chorus really caught my attention. Mind you, I've listened to this song approximately 82 billion times on other occasions, but this time was somehow different.

The chorus goes a little somethin' like this:
So breathe it in and breathe it out
Listen to your heartbeat
There’s a wonder in the here and now
It’s right there in front of you
And I don’t want you to miss
The miracle of the moment

That line - there's a wonder in the here and now - really jostled me. (Ok, I really just wanted an excuse to use the word 'jostled'.) I mean, how often are we just buzzing about our days, trying to clean the house, get the groceries, cash the paycheck, pay the bills...and we're forgetting to stop and see the miracle of the moment that God is putting right in front of us? It's kinda like the "stop and smell the roses" cliche, but instead of just sniffing a weird little flower, you actually take a moment to thank God for creating that rose, giving it the ability to grow and multiply and for using it to make His Earth a little more beautiful. See the difference?

Today I'm remembering to thank God for all my "miracles of the moment." Most notably, my husband, my WIP, my family, my friends, my job and my health. But aside from all those big, obvious things, there's little things in my every day life that I'm so, so thankful for...so take a moment in your busy day today and be thankful for one of your miracles of the moment.

Respect the Turkey.

Ok - I realize from the title of this post that you may think I'm a proponent of respecting Mr. Turkey and his ever-popular Thanksgiving holiday. Weeeeeeeell, you would be big time wrong-o.

You see, I'm of the mindset that the Christmas season should start the second Halloween is over. I'm itching to put up my tree as I close the door on the last little munchkin at my doorstep and turn off the porch light. And I KNOW there are bajillions of people out there that disagree with me, but I just can't help it. I. Love. Christmas.

Big shocker: I'm on the "party planning" committee at work. (Eerily similar to "The Office" team, honest.) We had our big Thanksgiving potluck lunch yesterday, though we had to call it "Fall Fest" to make HR happy. Anyway, it was very successful and we're already making plans for the next event. And when the crew told me that they want to do a cube decorating contest for December I almost peed my pants.

It honestly kept me up all night. I have literally played every scenario and option out in my head. If I could draw, I would already have my blueprints ready to rock. I envision a sea of Christmas wonderland - garland, lights, my mini hot pink tree, little fake presents - it will be puketastic. I will blare Christmas music so the 2nd floor hears it. I will hang snowflakes from the ceiling. I will cover the ground in white felt and pretend it's snow. It's going to blow your mind.

However, out of respect for the turkey and my husband, I will not flick the Christmas switch until Dec. 1. But beware - I will be preparing in the meantime!

Hump Day, Bump Day!

Well, lucky Wednesday readers, I thought today's post was going to have to be later tonight because Joe left super early for work and I just didn't have the energy to get out of bed for a picture before he left. However, modern technology and my quick thinking allowed me to prop the camera up on the couch and use the self-timer! So, it's not the greatest pic in the world, but it gets the job done.



Fit Pregnancy had this to say about Week 17:

"Congratulations, Kristi! You're 17 Weeks Pregnant. Your baby measures about 4.4 to 4.8 inches from crown to rump and has doubled its weight in the last two weeks to about 3.5 ounces. Fat begins to form aiding heat production and metabolism, the lungs are beginning to exhale amniotic fluid, and the circulatory and urinary systems are working. Hair continues to grow on baby's head and his eyebrows and eyelashes are filling in. You're showing more, with an obvious swelling in your lower abdomen. A five- to 10-pound weight gain is typical by now. You also may be noticing an increase in appetite."

I am very pleased to report that I fall right in the middle of the weight gain, at 6 lbs. Joe is still anxiously waiting for my ice cream cravings to start, but for now I'm lovin' the mashed potatoes. Sometimes even TBCY doesn't sound good, which is sooooo abnormal. I seriously don't know what we will do if our child doesn't like ice cream. Is there therapy for that? I keed, I keed.

In other news, I can now thank Facebook stalking for not one, but TWO faithful followers of this blog. Seriously, what did we do when internet stalking wasn't cinchy?

Enjoy your hump day - it's potluck day at work so I'm JAZZED! :)

Tuesday Funnies.

Oooohhh how I love my husband. He's honestly the most adorable guy on earth. From his daily made up songs to his insane obsession with football, I love every single part of his madness. That said, he's probably going to be really fake mad at me for posting the following story.

I was brushing my teeth on Sunday night, getting ready for bed. I have a little nightly ritual where I take my prenatal vitamin before I brush my teeth and set my Thyroid medicine out on the counter to remember to take in in the morning. Well, as I was brushing my teeth, I remembered that I forgot to take my vitamin. Since Joe was in the kitchen, I hollered to him and asked if he would get it out for me and set my other medicine out on the counter.

A minute or so later, I went in the kitchen to take my vitamin, which I expected to be sitting on the counter next to a glass of water (like I said, he's the best). Anyway, Joe was still in the kitchen and had the vitamin in his hand and was in the process of filling up the glass of water.

No sooner had I opened my mouth to thank him for his help, he was popping the vitamin in his mouth and SWALLOWED IT. I was stunned for a second and asked, "Um, did you just take my vitamin?"

He spit out the water that was left in his mouth, but the vitamin had already begun its dark descent into the depth of his belly. Whoopsie! We then both proceeded to laugh for the better part of four minutes about how he accidentally totally took a prenatal vitamin.

"It was habit!" he swears. "I was filling a glass of water and had a pill in my hand, so I just took it not thinking."

Seriously, we laughed about it for the rest of the night. I still giggle when I imagine the look on his face when he realized what he did. Kills. Me.

Now he's complaining on and on about sore nipples and feeling extra emotional. Go fig.

Today is Veteran's Day. Be sure to take a moment to honor all soliders - both past and present - and thank them for all they have done and continue to do for this great country.