33 Week Update

Big things happening, I'm early in posting this week!! 

We survived the hurricane, with only minor damage to our yard. We kept power the whole time and just had lots of rain and wind. I'm thinking of all my family & friends in Jersey, and glad to hear everyone is doing ok in the circumstances. 

 One of the best parts of the house was the fenced in back yard, and Hurricane Sandy took down the fence. Brew suffers the most on this one...

Chris graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy, he was in a special program run out of Brookline. I was such a proud mama! His first 24 hour shift is tonight, which means I have to be home alone, but most likely I will head up to hang out with Grammy Kiki. 

pictures of me & my handsome fire fighter!! 

Chris LOVES whiskey, so as a graduation gift I got him 4 (smaller) bottles to add to his liquor cabinet

Overall I am feeling really well, I wish I could let baby girl know that my ribs are not to be used as a jungle gym though...hopefully she learns soon! Sleep is still an issue, but thanks to a body pillow and about 8 other strategically placed pillows I'm making it through the night :)  I have an ultrasound tomorrow, so I will know more about the size and position of the baby then.

I can't believe how quickly everything is going by! 50 more days until my due date. Let's hope baby girl is a good listener and comes a few days early! 

My baby shower is this weekend! I can't wait to see all my friends and family, and I am hoping that everyone is able to safely make it! Those will be some great pictures to look forward to! 

I will update with the progress tomorrow after the ultrasound! 

32 Week Update

I am now 32 weeks pregnant, and took another little vacation from my blog, whoops! Things just seem to be getting so busy lately! I will update with pictures with the white board, but these will have to do for now :)

With that said, 58 days left until my due date!! This better be the quickest 58 days of my life, I'm pretty over being pregnant at this point in the game. 

Here are some pictures from my visit with my brother John, who is in Air Force Training at Norwich University. Norwich has a pretty intense first year training program, John can email, but only gets one 10 minute phone call a week, and can't leave campus except for holidays. We went up for family weekend where we got to see his campus and some of the training he has been doing. His favorite part (aside from seeing us) was eating real food, wearing normal clothes, and not having to march everywhere we went. 

Thankfully Baby Girl is due while John will be home for winter break, so he will get to meet her once she arrives!

Amah (baby girls great-amah) John, Papa (great-papa), Bobby & me

Grammy Kiki, Amah, John, Papa, Bobby & me

Me, John and Bobby

Overall I am still doing really well, minus the aches and pains and not sleeping well. I miss the days when I could have slept for 18 hours, now I'm lucky if I sleep two hours at a time! And I'm starting to waddle, which is super fun! I was hoping I wouldn't have to invest in any maternity clothing, but I might have to buy some clothes a few sizes up, just so I can fit in them for the winter months. I'm still obsessed with leggings and yoga pants, and consider myself the luckiest person on the planet I get to wear them to work everyday. Time to hit up the outlets or TJ Max! 

I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago, and baby girl is measuring a week bigger than average. Unfortunately this just means I will have a big baby, not that she will come a week earlier, but we can keep our fingers crossed! Also, her head is down, she still has some wiggle room so that could change, but they are all good signs! 

I'm Back!! 28 Week Update

I'm back after a long hiatus. I apologize for not updating sooner for those of you who check regularly, things have been VERY busy. I promise to do better :) 

excuse my appearance, I came from cheerleading practice...

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain: +11 pounds

Maternity clothes? I'm wearing mostly leggings now but can still wear my regular shirts

Stretch marks? none!

Sleep: I look back at the days when I could sleep soundly with envy. I'm tossing and turning a lot, trying to find a comfortable way to sleep. I'm hot and cold, and wake up to pee quite frequently. Sometimes I have to get up and move around just because she is kicking so much. 

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at my monthly doctors appointment
Miss Anything? Have I mentioned Pumpkin Head beer yet?
Movement: lots!

Food cravings: fruit and sweets....still

Anything making you queasy or sick: just the cold i am fighting off right now :(

Gender: Girl 

Labor Signs: None, still too early

Symptoms: aches in my lower back, and some general discomfort due to the growing human inside me

Belly Button in or out? in, but it gets flat depending on how baby girl is moving. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: could not be happier! Its fall, I wear yoga pants to work every day and its getting closer to my due date! Sometimes I need a time out when I start to cry watching say yes to the dress, or just call up Grammy Kiki when I am feeling sensitive. 

Looking forward to: being that lady who paints her tummy like a pumpkin for halloween and taking cute baby bump pictures!!!

Chris and I have been busy starting to plan our wedding. Nothing to crazy yet, just looking at venues and trying to figure out exactly what we want, and since we have the same taste and agree on everything its really easy....not! We are having fun with it though, thats what it is all about. 

I have also made the transition from working full time to being a stay at home mom for Brew. I work from home for half the week now, and coach cheerleading/run a kids program at a local gym the rest of the week. Brew loves that I am a stay at home mom now, he gets to go for lots of walks and always has some company. I love it because I can wear yoga pants everyday. I'm excited about this new routine, and so is Chris since dinner is ready when he gets home from the Fire Academy. Unfortunately now I have time to branch out of my 5 recipe comfort zone and try new things, which arent always keepers.

We also took our pre-natal class at Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Boston, where I will be delivering. Some of the information was helpful, but I could have done without the partner breathing exercises, Chris and I were the only couple laughing the whole time. We couldn't even look at each other!! I'm sure it will be helpful, but we just couldnt take it seriously sitting in a class with 10 other couples. My favorite part was the tour of the hospital, it is nice knowing where I will be going in to and have it be somewhat familiar. 

Baby Girl Swag

Yup, its time for another post about all the cute things I'm getting for baby girl! I blame Grammy Kiki!!

From Grammy Kiki, possibly one of the cutest pairs of shoes ever!! 

They are 3-9 months size from Carters. 

More shoes! The pink booties are from Catie, one of my college roommates, and the pink flats and blue uggs are from Grammy Kiki

From Grammy Kiki, a GUESS rain jacket. I'm waiting for one in my size

 

From Catie, these outfits came all the way from the Hamptons in a care package from Catie, my college roommate. I cannot get over how friggen cute the pants are with the cupcake on the bum! Baby girl has many nick names, and Catie calls her cupcake, so these are even more perfect! (they are from Carter's)

BIG things are happening!

First off, I apologize for the lack of updates (week 26 is coming soon!) Chris and I have had a very exciting week!

CHRIS AND I ARE ENGAGED! I could not be happier, or in more shock! Marriage was never a discussion we had, we had made jokes, in typical Chris and Kelsey fashion, but it was just wasn't on the radar at this point in our lives, or so I thought. Here is our engagement story:

Chris had lured me to his parents house, with the promise of dinner after work on Friday, September 7. Once I got to the house, he suggested we take Brew for a walk. I was not loving the idea, I just drove an hour from work and wanted to sit and relax, but he convinced me to go. We went to Elm Bank, in Wellesley, just down the road from his parents. We walk Brew there pretty often, there are lots of trails and open fields he loves to run in, and it goes along the Charles River into Boston, so Brew can go for a swim too. Its a great spot to go walk, and is one of our favorite places to go. We were walking on the trail, and stopped to let Brew play in the water. We were standing there talking about what a cute "baby boy" we have, and next thing you know Chris goes "so Kelsey..." and is down on one knee asking me to marry him. I think I said "no way" about 8 times before I finally said yes, but I couldn't be happier to be marrying my best friend. 

The ring is absolutely stunning. Chris had asked for my mom's blessing quite a while ago, and she had offered to give him the stone from her wedding ring to have re-set into mine. They were so sneaky getting this past me! Chris used a diamond from my moms ring, and added it into the setting he designed for my ring. I really got a good one! Everyone knows how sentimental I am, and having the diamond that my dad gave to my mom in my wedding ring is one of the most special things in the world. I wish more than anything that my dad were here to share in this exciting time in our lives, but as my brother Johnny said, "dad would be so proud and he would approve of Chris" Having this ring means so much, of all the wonderful memories love creates, and of all the wonderful memories that have yet to be created. 

excuse my fat pregnant lady fingers

Holy crap, I couldn't believe it, and I still can't!! A baby on the way and a wedding to plan, we will have a busy house! 2012 has been such an incredible year for both of us, and we are so excited for all the new adventures that 2013 holds for us. Looking back at this time last year, I could never imagine all the amazing blessings that life would have given me, I am so thankful and grateful for how lucky I am. 

Week 24 & 25 Update

Sorry for the late post! Pictures are to come later today or tomorrow I promise! I am now 25 weeks, we had a crazy busy labor day weekend, so sorry for the delay! 104 days to go!

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain: +7 pounds

Maternity clothes? Wearing some jeans & leggings, but still in my regular clothes. I can't wait for fall to wear sweaters!

Stretch marks? none yet, mama mio lotion is holding up!

Sleep: Unfortunately my beloved sleep has begun to get interrupted with jabs to my ribs. Baby girl is always more active at night, but lately I've been getting woken up by her movement. I can no longer sleep on my stomach, so I wake up to switch from side to side when one arm falls asleep or I start to get uncomfortable, not to mention the trips to the bathroom. 

Best moment this week: Starting to actually look and feel pregnant, its been some time coming, but I get really excited about my growing bump!
Miss Anything? Seasonal Beers, I can't even count the number of Shipyard Pumpkin head displays that are taunting me, especially with fall and football season coming up.
Movement: starting to get stronger and feel more of it during the day

Food cravings: fruit and sweets....still

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing (knock on wood!!)

Gender: Girl 
Labor Signs: None, still too early

Symptoms: aches in my lower back, and some general discomfort due to the growing human inside me

Belly Button in or out? in, but it is beginning to get mysterious 

Happy or Moody most of the time: could not be happier! Sometimes I need a time out when I start to cry, or just call up Grammy Kiki when I am feeling sensitive. 

Looking forward to: starting to get the nursery put together!

This week in the life of baby girl.....(24 Weeks)

She is now about the size of an ear of corn: measuring around 12 inches long and weighing a little over 1 pound. In the coming weeks, your baby will continue to grow and mature at a fast rate, gaining about 6 ounces of weight a week. Her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. She is pretty lean at 24 weeks, but she'll soon be putting on some "baby fat" to fill out her frame and wrinkled skin, which is due to the lack of subcutaneous fat. She has begun to develop white blood cells. These cells are responsible for fighting off disease and infection. Her lungs develop branches this week, and her inner ear is completely developed. In fact, she has basic control over all of her senses: hearing, touch, taste, smell, and vision! 

This week in the life of baby girl.....(25 Weeks)
Just in time for football season, baby girl is about the size of a football! As she gains weight, her skin begins to become less wrinkled and she begins to look more, and more like a newborn. Also, her skin is finally gaining some color. Her hands are fully developed by this week, fingerprints and all! And at 25 weeks, the structure of the spine is beginning to form (33 rings, 150 joints, and 1000 ligaments)!

A Present in a Blue Box...and an owl! Thanks Aunt Patty and Uncle Pete

I am in the works of putting together a post about all the new goodies I've been receiving for baby girl (I'm on shoe overload from Grammy Kiki, so I need some time to take pictures of it all!). However, this one deserved its own post. 

This week was my Grandma Annie's 90th birthday celebration down the Jersey Shore. Grandma Annie will be baby girls great grandmother!All of my family, except my brother John who is away at Norwich and was greatly missed, was there to celebrate and honor the matriarch of the Flanagan family. It was wonderful to visit with everyone. 

At the end of our visit, my Aunt Patty and Uncle Pete gave Chris and I this gift for baby girl. I already knew I would love it because it came in my favorite color box! They got baby girl a porcelain Bunny Bank from Tiffany's! This is such a special gift that will be placed high up on a shelf in a safe place, but it is a great piece that she be able to have. 

The Tiffany's bunny bank was such a special gift, but it came with an OWL! Patty and Pete also gave us an Izzy Owl from National Wildlife Kids for baby girl. I cut it off in the picture, but the owl is wearing flight goggles, which is a perfect tribute to Chris, who flew on KC 130s in the Marine Corps. 

Thank you AP & UP!

Here are some pictures from our visit:

Baby girl will be joining a big family! Meet the Flanagan (Roper, Rochon, & Stefaneli) family. Sorry for the blurry photo!

I am in the front, next to great grand daughter #1 Nora, who has asked that we name baby girl "Sparkles". Chris is in the back, with great grand son #1 Griffin on his shoulders. We had so much fun with everyone, but especially the twins, who gave us a glimpse into parenthood! 

Here is Grammy Kiki, Uncle Bobby and Grandma Annie, on the phone is Uncle John, who got special permission from his Cadres at Norwich University to call Grandma on her 90th birthday!