Week 34 – Nesting and our Final Trip to Eau Claire

(A gift from our friend...the Octopus says 8 colors in 3 languages!!)

Another week has flown by and I can’t believe that Baby K will be here in under 5 weeks (we are still keeping our fingers crossed for more like 2 or 3 weeks!) Friday afternoon my friends from work threw a wonderful shower for us. Once again we were very spoiled and received so many fun things! For some of my male co-workers it was their first baby shower! I went home Friday night and started nesting…everything is almost ready and we just have a few things to get before Baby K arrives!

(Nancy and Jill)

Saturday we made our final trip through the snow to Eau Claire to spend some time with friends, it seems strange to think that on our next trip there will be 3 of us! Baby K continues to be active (except when Heather is around and then it refuses to move!!!)

We also found out this week that Baby K is going to have some new friends next summer!!! Kelly and Dustin are expecting a little one on July 4th, and Matt and Brooke are expecting #3 in mid-July. We are so excited for them!

Week 33 Baby LOVES Turkey-in-a-Cloud!!

(Baby is getting close!)

A very busy week of cooking, cleaning, and EATING is now behind us, or “on our behind”. Wednesday night Baby K. got to enjoy its first Wild game with Mike and Carrie Whipple, a fun evening with friends and the excitement on the ice. Jill was bummed that there was only one really good fight and that the bottle marked ketchup was actually BBQ sauce. The Wild Dog was not as tastey. =(

(Adrianna thinks she's hiding under the table)

We enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving with the 22 lb. Turkey at our house on Thursday, and then we headed to Mankato Friday and Saturday for the traditional Thanks-mas get together.

(Austin-"I wonder what would happen if I would......)

Baby K. loved all the attention from cousins Will, Ella, Matthew, Kaden, Kylie, Adrianna, Austin, and Landon. Lots of, “Is there a baby in there?” from the little ones. Too funny!! Kaden and Kylie were a bit disappointed; they thought Baby K would be here already. Friday was a evening with Cary’s family filled with swimming, cannon balls, hot tubbing, and the best pizza in Mankato, Paglia’s.

Above is the Pottery Barn Kids crib bumper Jill bought on Ebay. Don’t let the color fool you. She found a good deal on a girl bumper too….so we are prepared either way….except my check book. =)

(Cary and Landon-10 mo.- hanging out)

Baby K. had another doctor visit and the doctor confirmed that baby is now head down and in that “ready” position, but hopefully not TOO ready...give us a 2-3 weeks. The doctor was happy with the check up and said everything is on schedule. That is good news.

Week 32 – Under 50 Days!

Week 32 – Under 50 Days!

Wow, I can’t believe another week has flown by! Baby K must be getting big and running out of room because it seems to be moving around all the time now! I must say I love the feeling, however I think we have some sleeping patterns we need to fix already because 2am is not my best time of day…and Baby K seems to want to play at 2 am already. I can’t believe that within 50 days this little person is going to be here…reality is sinking in more and more every day. (well I should say 50 days if it isn’t late!)

My friend Carolynne was in town this weekend for the Badger/Gopher game and it was so good to be able to spend a little time with her, hopefully when she is home for Christmas she will be able to meet Baby K!!!...and Cary who won the game again?

My new boss started last week, I’m so excited to have a great boss at last. Between Deb and Melissa (my director) I’m feeling really positive about my job right now, and that helps a lot as I prepare to go on leave. I think it will make it a lot easier when I return to work as well.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving, celebrating an early Christmas with Cary’s family this weekend and Thanksmas on Saturday! We really have a lot to be thankful for this year!

Week 32- New friends for Baby K!

This was a big week for Baby K and for Mama! The week started out when I went to visit my friend Erica and her new baby Grady…he is a cute little peanut and his big sister Lulu was totally cracking me up. (I brought my camera, but of course forgot to take pictures!!!) On Monday our friends Liz and Kevin had a little baby girl, Cassie! I don’t have pictures to share yet, but she is precious!

(Cary meets Tyler Nathan)

Saturday our good friends (and cousins) Eric and Nikki welcomed Tyler Nathan into the world. Sunday we went to the hospital to visit him, and he is so tiny and sweet! It was quite a reality check to be holding a brand new baby at the hospital…our turn will be here before we know it!

(Jill practices snuggling Tyler Nathan)

Monday night we had dinner with our friends Jake and Kim, and meeting their little guy Logan who was born in April (he is such a happy little guy, I’m so happy we finally got a chance to meet him!) Baby K is going to have lots of friends.

We were again spoiled by our friends and family. Sunday was a day of fun, having friends and family over to Kristi’s house to celebrate the pending arrival of Baby K. It was so much fun to spend time with everyone. As the month of November continues, it is hard to believe that Turkey Day fast approaches and the calendar will get even crazier. Baby is excited for the treats that come with the holiday get togethers! (Daddy too!)

Week 31 - We Passed Baby Class!

(Jill's future sleeping quarters!)

Cary and I spent the weekend at baby class learning all about labor and delivery and how to take care of Baby K when it arrives! We both thought that the class was helpful (I especially liked the relaxation technique part where he had to rub my back and neck J), but were happy that we did it in a weekend instead of taking the 8 week class! The 2 instructors were great, and once again we realized what a small world it was when we discovered one of them was from Pipestone! It feels like we are one step closer to being ready for Baby K to arrive, and will hopefully know when it is time to go to the hospital!

Our glider was also delivered this week! So far it has been the biggest baby decision for me as there are so many options and such a huge range of prices! I can’t wait to rock and snuggle with Baby K! Now if only we could figure out a way to put a tv in the nursery so I could rock and watch TV at the same time! Happy Harry's Furniture in Farmington was the location....small town atmosphere and customer service. Cary swear's the guy is related to Mike Whipple's dad....same personality characteristics. Too funny.

(Oh, the cute little bump!)

Wednesday we handed out candy to the trick or treaters and I realized that getting on and off the couch isn’t quite as easy anymore, but it was fun to actually have kids come this year because last year we only had 1! Here we treated ourselves to a "treat", a Papa Murphy's Pumpkin Special. YUMMY!

Week 30 -I've surpassed the Pumpkin!

Last week was another busy week for Baby K, luckily we had a weekend without plans (which was the first in a long time and the last for awhile)! We spent Saturday morning cleaning and the afternoon running errands. Saturday night Cary made a roast and I baked Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (I think my maternal instincts are kicking in because I don’t normally like to bake and probably haven’t made homemade cookies since Cary and I started dating).

Now I know why we don’t normally have cookies around because neither of us have any self-control! Sunday we spent lots time on the couch, and made a big pot of chili and a big batch of sloppy joes to start stocking the freezer for when Baby K arrives. Next weekend we will be going to baby class at the hospital! 10 weeks to go, but who's counting?

We have lots of birthdays to celebrate this week....Happy Birthday to Grandma Mary who turned 94 yesterday, Grandma B who will turn 60 on Halloween and Papa T who will be 61 on Saturday!

Week 29- Baby has a big week!

Baby K and Mom started their week on the beach in Miami!!! I had my last trip for work, and it was a great excuse to get one last dose of sand, sun and ocean! (oh and I did work some while I was there!)

Thursday Cary had off from school so after our doctor's appointment we went to Eau Claire to have an early 60th birthday celebration with Grandma B. Grandma B, Rob, Peg, Will, Ella, Matthew, Cary and I went to the apple orchard and shared caramel apples and cider (in the rain) and then we picked up Nana and Dick and all went out for pizza. Saturday we went to Hudson to help Dan and Kristi move into their new house! I'm so excited for them and their new house is very cute! Sunday my girlfriends Christy and Krissy threw a shower for me! It was a very fun day filled with lots of yummy food and good friends, and I am feeling so spoiled already. We are wonderful to have such great (and generous) friends. Tonight we went to an open house at the hospital to meet with lots of different Labor and Delivery people and to get a tour (oh and they had a drawing that we were REALLY hoping to win...but didn't win anything). Wow, just writing about it sounds like an exhausting week! Time is flying by...I think Baby K is going to be here before we know it.