Chicago Momma

Happy 2010!

2010-01-31T19:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok I know - it's been WAAAAY too long since I've updated the blog. I have gone through a time where I was just not into it for a while. Photos take a long time to upload and sometimes they don't even work well so I've been putting lots of pictures up on facebook and just assume that you are all on there so you'd see them anyway. I will put some of Aubrey's developmental stats (and her cute things she does) on here for you to read.

Aubrey is almost 2 years old - can you believe it?! I surely can't. It feels like my baby was just born and now she's such a big girl! Her hair is long enough to put in full pigtails and can actually fit into a ponytail too but to be honest it just makes her look too old and I can't take it :( Pigtails it is! She is talking like crazy and can say small sentences like "I need more cereal" or "I need Daddy" or "I need Mom." Notice the trend? She can also point out almost all of her body parts, sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and does the hand motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider. What a cutie! She knows most of the food she eats by name (not that she can say all of them but she can say many) and loves to color and do her puzzles like a pro.

It has been so fun watching Aubrey get bigger, smarter, and even sweeter (if that's possible). I am in the planning mode for Aubs' 2nd bday party and can't wait to enjoy throwing my first real party in our new house! Hope to see you there!

11 Month Old Update

2009-02-27T10:40:00.001-08:00

It has been busy (as always) around here and I just never seem to have time to blog, so here is the update from the past few months. Aubrey is coming up on her first birthday and I just can't believe how much she is changing all the time! She is becoming such a big girl and can do lots of fun things now. She is a crawling machine but in the last few weeks she hasn't been crawling as much as she has been cruising and walking around the house with her walkers! She picks herself up off of the floor and walks around the table and couch, the perimeter of her crib, and even pushes her walkers up and down the halls! It is so fun to watch her learn so many new things. This past week she has learned how to pick herself up without even using any props to help her and then stand alone for up to 10 seconds or so. Sometimes I look over at her playpen and she is just standing on her own clapping at her accomplishment! So fun! She is also learning a lot of new words these past few weeks. She has mastered "hi," "bye-bye," "mama," "dada," and now this week she can say "uh-oh," and even "baby" when she sees dolls or other babies! I didn't realize how fast she would learn language and I am really encouraged to see what else will happen in the weeks and months to come! It is sad to know that she is getting bigger and see how fast she grows out of clothes and toys but at the same time it is so awesome to see her really becoming a little person and maturing and learning all the time. I don't have many pictures uploaded right now but I will get some more and put them up here soon I promise! I will also really try to be more consistent with getting stuff up here. Sorry it took so long but thanks for looking back here!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great 2008 and and will have an even better 2009! We had a fun Christmas and a great New Years Eve hanging out with family and friends. Aubrey even managed to squeeze her first crawls and the subtle sprouting of her first tooth on New Year's Eve! :) She is getting better every day and last night she really started to get around on her hands and knees. I can't even think of how big she will be next year!

Road Trip, Thanksgiving, and more fun stuff!

2008-12-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long overdue post. It has been so busy and I just never seem to have the time or the will at night to sit down and get some pictures posted. We have had a busy last month or so with a road trip out to Colorado for Thanksgiving. Besides our trip we have been just trying to get ready for Christmas with decorating, baking, and learning lots of new tricks to show everyone! Aubrey is not crawling yet but she is moving from one place to another without a problem and is loving getting into all of the Christmas presents under the tree. She is just getting so big I can't believe it! Hope you are all enjoying your Christmas preparations!!!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2008-10-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's not quite THAT cold but it is getting chilly and we even got some snow a few days ago! I didn't see it since I stayed at home that day with the kiddos but I heard about it from plenty of people to know that it is in fact true. I can't believe that summer just went away and it's already feeling wintery. I am getting prepared to put on the Christmas music soon. I'm not quiet there but I am guessing that by a week from now I will be. I can't wait!

There isn't too much to report. Aubrey has passed the 7 month mark which I can't believe. She is rolling around all over the place and I am expecting her to start crawling pretty soon. She has also mastered eating and eats most of the 1st foods (peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, and apple sauce). She just has a few new ones to try out before she's finished them all. She is also learning about her sippy cup even though she hasn't actually drank out of it yet. She is just chewing on it and holding it but she seems to like her new toy well enough.

Life's Worries

2008-10-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

It is almost 11:30 here and I am ready to go to sleep. In fact I have been ready to go to sleep for a while now and laid in my bed for about 45 minutes with no success. While my husband and daughter are snoozing their little hearts out my heart is heavy and I can't seem to just close my eyes and relax. Maybe it is all spurred on by my forgetfulness recently and the distress that can bring when you forget about a special event for someone that is close to you or you forget a doctors appointment (grr) and don't know if there will be a penalty. Maybe it is because of my own interpersonal difficulties right now that could make any person burdened on a daily basis. Maybe it is because I just watched a show on the 5 big threats to our world dying off (what a light hearted choice of Troy's don't you think?) Whatever it is I just can't seem to get myself to fall asleep so I figured I would just ease my mind by sharing my thoughts on here. After all, this is my blog. And if you don't have an interest in reading this since it's not happy fun pictures of my baby girl then you don't have to. Thankfully you get to choose.

When I go into Aubrey's room at night it is so bittersweet. I look at her in her cozy pj's and her sweet little face as she dreams away of who knows what (sometimes she smiles and I have to wonder what in the world she is smiling about?) and I worry. I don't remember being a baby and not knowing that things are too expensive and jobs pay too little. I didn't worry about losing the people you love whether they are taken from this world or merely taken from your world. Aubrey lives in this sweet happy world where all she knows is her mommy and daddy and milk and twice a day some bananas or pureed carrots. But one day reality will hit and she too will have to face some of the demons that we all have. I just dread that day for her. When she gets laughed at or let down. It's ok to have disappointment, it's only human. I am definitely not one of those parents who thinks that every person should be allowed to make the team and there shouldn't be cuts. We all have our strengths and we all have our definite weaknesses and to ignore that fact is ignorance. But what about the stuff that we can't really control that really hurts us at our core? Will she be liked by people? Will she fall in love? Will someone ever love her? Will she get to hold her baby in her arms? Will I get to hold her baby in my arms? I really don't understand why I have gotten myself into such a melancholy mood tonight. I think it was the tv show. But whatever the reason these feelings are real and I can't imagine that I'm the only one thinking these things. And now that I have pulled you down with me you will probably be thinking these things whether you were before or not. It is reality and it's ok. God is good and He is in control. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of that. Sometimes it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference anyway even though I absolutely believe it to be true. I think I am going to go to sleep and think about my beautiful daughter sleeping in the room next to me and be happy that I am so blessed to have even met her. Even for a day. That in itself really does show you how good God is.

Fall Fun!

2008-10-07T18:23:00.001-07:00

It is officially fall and we are finally getting weather that feels a little more like it! It has been chilly enough to pull out some sweaters and jackets which was a nice change since it has been such a long and hot summer. It has been busy around here with Troy working tons and fitting in a weekend trip and then a visit from Troy's parents but we have all managed to keep up! Aubrey is just changing and growing like crazy. At her last visit she was 16 lb 11 oz. She did have a little bump in the road a few weeks ago when we woke up to find her entire body covered in a red rash. I took her to the doctor and they said it was just a virus and by the next day she was much better. It broke my heart to see my little girl like that but I was happy to see that it went away quickly. She is rolling over like crazy and loves to sit up and play all the time now. I am wondering how long it will be till she starts to crawl because she is just getting very mobile all of a sudden. I have lots of pictures so enjoy!

Happy Belated Labor Day!

2008-09-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

I hope you all enjoyed your long weekend. Sorry I haven't posted in a while but it has been pretty crazy around here and I haven't had time to sit down long enough to upload all my pictures and since I know all 2 of you who read this are not interested in my ramblings but instead want to see baby pictures I have forgone any entries that don't contain pictures. Anyway, things here are good. We had a really fun long weekend up in Michigan visiting our friend Julie's parents and brothers and sisters in Ann Arbor for a night and then going to Grand Rapids, Holland, South Bend and finally Amish Country before finally admitting that our weekend was over and it was time to return home. Aubrey has changed so much even since my last post. She is now a pro at sitting up. She can't sit herself up but she can stay up if someone sits her up. She really likes playing with her toys and also her feet when she is sitting. She is also really enjoying her baths now that she can sit up and splash around in the water. She even plays with her rubber ducky! Tonight we actually fed her some rice cereal for the first time which she thoroughly hated but it was cute and I think she'll do well after some practice. Besides that there isn't too much to report. I have loved looking at all the cute fall and winter clothes and am already on a hunt to find her the perfect Christmas dress! There are so many cute things to chose from I don't know how I'll ever make up my mind! I'm already training her to be a good shopper like her mom :)

Her first taste of food... not too sure about this whole eating thing

ok, well maybe a little

our trip up to Holland Michigan

talk about having some big shoes to fill!

sadly it is the end of summer and these wooden shoes are still tanner than me :(

Look what a big girl I am!

Beginning

Middle

End

Troy being double teamed by the girls

She looked like the Princess and the Pea

of course my picture woke her up but it didn't seem to sour her mood any!

Fun Pictures

2008-08-17T19:40:00.001-07:00

My first time in my high chair

Meeting Mom's friend Traci

We ran into Grandma and Grandpa at church!

Lazy Summer Days

2008-08-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been particularly relaxing around our house. We have been hanging out and just enjoying the beautiful weather and Troy and I have been doing some fun stuff together like visiting some friends and going to an outdoor concert (that got rained out) and walking trails at the forest preserve. There isn't too much new to report. Aubrey had her 4 month visit and did really well with her shots - she is a very brave girl! She weighed 14 lb 8 oz which is exactly twice her birth weight and she was 25 inches long. She is in the 75 percentile for both height and weight. She is a healthy little girl which is so nice to know! The big news I guess is that after months (and really years) of talking about it we finally took our cat Rizzo back to the Humane Society and gave her back up for adoption. It has been a difficult choice but it is the right one for our family, but that doesn't make it easy.

4 generations

2008-08-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Having fun in her rocking chair

Aubrey's first night in her own crib

4 Generations

Great-Grandpa "Liz" with Aubrey

The last two nights have been both exciting and at the same time tear jerkers for me. Last night Aubrey slept in her own room in her crib for the very first night ever. It all happened because I have had this weird cough at night (I'm thinking it's allergies? I don't really know) and I kept waking her up with it. The last few weeks she has not been sleeping through the night. In fact she has been waking up every 2 hours or so some nights. I was wondering if we were actually waking HER up by coughing and snoring - I won't specify who was causing which one :). So last night after she woke up I just thought maybe this was the night to give it a try. It was so sad but at the same time it is nice to see Aubrey growing up and getting stronger every day. I didn't cry but I did have to just kind of pretend it wasn't happening for a little while. But this morning I woke up at 9:00 and found that Aubrey had slept through the whole night for the first time in a while! I am sitting here listening to her lullabies on the monitor and hoping that she will have a pleasant night's sleep again tonight.

So now you know my emotions from last night but tonight I am sad because I had to say goodbye to my grandparents before they go back to California tomorrow afternoon. They came out to meet Aubrey and I am so glad that they got the chance. It was so wonderful to see my grandparents holding my daughter. We even go to get a picture of 4 generations together - me, my mom, my grandma, and Aubrey. So I am very sad to see them go but am so happy that we got this visit together. They don't have the internet or even a computer for that matter but I'm going to say it anyway... I LOVE YOU GRANDMA AND GRANDPA!!!

Besides that there isn't too much to report. Aubrey is teething like crazy and I am learning to love those teethers that go in the fridge. I am almost done with work, only a few weeks left! And Troy actually got this weekend off! That hasn't happened since... May... so that was a huge surprise and blessing to spend today and get to spend tomorrow with him again!

I hope you are all doing great and enjoying your summer!

Fun Summer Days!

2008-07-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well, Summer is going by and I can't believe how fast it is passing us! It seems like just yesterday we were all bundled up and now it's already getting close to August! It has been a fun Summer so far with our beautiful little girl and I am always enjoying new and fun things with her around. The new additions to her repertoires are giggles and raspberries. She LOVES to spit all the time now and make noises with her mouth - it is cute to watch, just make sure you steer clear of the splash zone! I am not sure her exact weight because we haven't been to the doctor since the end of May but according to my scale she is 14 pounds! That is twice her birth weight! It is sad to see her grow up but reassuring to see her growing bigger. I am reminded of how little she really is though when I see pictures of her or when I am holding her and walk by a mirror and see our reflections.

The big news, in case you haven't heard from other sources, is that I have quit my job! I have set up a babysitting gig with our friends Mike and Julie and will be watching their two kids Asher (2 1/2) and Avery (1) 3 days a week. I have been really having a hard time being at peace with my work situation and have been looking to find a way to stay with my girl. After months of searching God has once again provided me with a wonderful solution. I am so thankful for this opportunity and can't wait to start spending each day with Aubrey. I will be working at my job until the 3rd week in August at which point I will start the babysitting. Hooray!!!

I have been a bit lazy in taking pictures recently but am told that there are some very cute ones that were taken on the 4th of July so as soon as I get those I will post them up here. For now I have some cute pictures for Aubrey's first time going swimming and a cute picture of Aubrey with her Daddy.

Pictures!

2008-06-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

I don't have too much to report. Things are good. I have a cold but fotrunately Aubrey and Troy are both doing fine. Aunt Carla and Becky and Gabi are visiting this weekend so we are very excited to see them! I took these pictures last weekend and thought you might enjoy looking at them!

Happy Days Are Here Again!

2008-06-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well, now that we have gotten through our first cold experience, life is much more enjoyable for everyone. Aubrey is doing much better and we are both adjusting to being back at school. Aubrey sleeps at school much of the time and when she is awake she really does well with her teachers and with playing in the bebepod and other toys. This has been a relief to me and to my surprise I have actually enjoyed the social aspect of work (and the paychecks don't hurt either). I am still hoping for something different long term but am ok with the situation as of now.

This weekend we celebrated Troy's first Father's day by doing none other than eating festival food - this is his favorite type of food to eat (don't ask me, I think it must be a guy thing). On Saturday Troy had to go to work a couple of times but in the afternoon we went to downtown Libertyville and hung out at Libertyville days where there was an art show and rides and bands and lots of yummy food. Then on Sunday Troy worked at church in the morning and then Aubrey and I met him for lunch and then we all came home and took a nap... pretty exciting I know. I think we all needed some rest and relaxation though. All in all it was a great weekend.

Sick

2008-06-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. Aubrey has her first cold. Boy, it's a lot harder for a baby to have a cold than it is for us big people! I had no idea! Aubrey has been sniffling and sneezing for a few days but has been under the weather for almost a week. It is so sad to see my little baby girl with her bright red watery eyes and stuff running down her face. I feel so awful for her. We went to the doctor to day and it is just a virus so hopefully she is getting toward the end of it. I don't have too much other news to report. To be honest, this cold has taken up pretty much all of my energy! Hopefully I will have something more fun to post next time. Until then I will leave you with a picture of our little sweetheart falling asleep in her daddy's arms. She was so tired she fell asleep sitting up!

Back to work

2008-06-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Well, my 2+ month hiatus is over now and I am getting ready to return back to work on Monday. I am a little nervous about doing that because I don't want Aubrey to get sick in daycare and also I just don't want to be away from her. I have been on a hunt to find ways to stay home but have been less than fruitful so far. I am staying positive though and will only be working part time. I will also get to continue nursing her while I am there during my breaks. I am fortunate to be working and sending Aubrey to a place where I trust the people and I am also available at all times. All in all it's a great situation - it's just not the same as staying home...

I went back to work this week for a couple of hours and left Aubrey in the infant room and she did great. Her teacher said she responded with talking when she was sung to and loved going outside in the buggy. I was happy to hear that she was such a good girl. Today I went shopping and got her a new bouncy seat so she can take her own to school with her. It is not usual or necessary for babies to bring their own things but my thought is that maybe she will be able to stay healthy and not get sick as often if she is using her own toys. I am also hoping that she will feel more at home by bringing her old bouncy in with her. I know I am sappy but this is just a difficult thing for me to get used to.

On Thursday when I woke up I noticed that Aubrey was sort of screaming instead of her usual crying or grunting and she appeared to be in pain. She was also strange because she was sleeping ALL day long and kept even falling asleep on me which is very abnormal for her. I was nervous that she had come down with something already from her time at school so I took her to the doctor and she checked out fine with just a bit of a red throat that the doctor thought might turn into a viral infection. Today, though, she seems just about back to normal (maybe a bit fussier than usual) and her temperature is back to normal. Who knows what that was all about, I'm just glad to see that she is doing better.

I realized today that I haven't really been taking too many pictures of her and I need to get back with it so I will be busy behind the camera this weekend and I will get some more pictures up here next week sometime. Sorry this was kind of a downer entry but I am just in a strange mood. If you have any information regarding a way for me to work from home I would appreciate it. And as always, we appreciate your prayers regarding finding something but more over finding peace with the situation. Thanks!

middle of the night ramblings

2008-05-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

So it's a little after 11 here and I am the only one awake. Troy and Aubrey have both been asleep for over an hour now and I am not tired at all! In fact, I have a surprising amount of energy right now. While I was changing Aubrey I started to think about how much I like my wipe warmer and thought "I should make a list of all my favorite must-haves for a first time mom." But then I thought, maybe people would think that was boring and annoying. I always thought it was kind of annoying when people tried to impose their own personal ideas and thoughts on me while I was pregnant. But then I thought, duh people can figure out what works and what doesn't work when their babies are here, but what about while they are still pregnant? It's weird, lately I have been wanting to be pregnant again (which is crazy because at least in my earlier stages of pregnancy I really didn't enjoy it much). But the whole idea that you forget all of the pain of childbirth and all of the struggles of pregnancy the second your baby is born is true, or at least it was for me. So now I am enjoying my beautiful baby girl and realizing that I missed out on some of the fun things that I could have (and should have) enjoyed before she even came into our home as a little baby. So I will not impose my views onto you and say that you need to have a wipe warmer and a bouncy seat and a bebe pod and some of those velcro swaddlers because you already know that and if you don't then you'll figure out what works for you. And anyway, what do I know? But I am going to bore you with some new ideas that are dear to me because I wish that I had known then a year ago and I hope that if I happen to forget these things I can look at this and remember them next time. So here is my list of things to do while you're pregnant:

20. Stop trying to fit into booths at around 8 months to avoid embarrasements
19. Enjoy eating hot food while you can because soon you will rarely eat your food before it's cold
18. Figure out a way to stay home and not have to go back to work. (still working on that one)
17. Video tape when the baby kicks. You can see your belly move and you forget how amazing it is
16. Don't get annoyed when you need to keep moving your car seat back to drive.
15. When you are nausious and throwing up remember that it won't last forever.
14. Spend time with your husband because you won't get those date nights back for a while
13. Rub your belly. I remember how fun that was and I miss it
12. Don't let yourself stress out about the baby. Odds are he or she is going to be fine.
11. Take pictures of yourself every month to show your progress. Some months are just "missing"
10. If they don't know 100% boy or girl, don't ask what they think it might be!
9. Plan on being way more in love with your baby than you can imagine
8. SLEEP! SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP!
7. Start a blog :)
6. Eat what you like but remember that your baby doesn't weigh 40 lbs... I could have sworn mine did!
5. Exercise (see #6)
4. Take lots of video and pictures of you and your husband at the hospital
3. Get a cute haircut if you don't already have one. It will help in those last months when you are feeling less that beautiful.
2. Enjoy the attention you get because pretty soon you'll be your baby's accessory
1. Thank God every day for the amazing job He has allowed you to do

So there are my 2 cents for tonight. Like I said, you don't have to take any of my advice and it isn't even applicable to a lot of you. I guess I just wanted to share my thoughts because I am realizing that my love for Aurbrey started a little less than a year ago when I found out I was pregnant and I really am truly blessed to have gone through this journey.

*** Side Note - I have made it so that anyone can leave comments now. Sorry for the confusion earlier I didn't realize I had regulations set for them! Feel free to leave comments! ***

2 month check-up

2008-05-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

what a little angel

what a chunker - look at that tummy!

resting with daddy

celebrating Troy's birthday at Ditkas - with Ditka! Daaaaa Bears

"Look Ma, I can sit!"

bath time

"...choo!"

Can you believe she came home in this outfit? Look how big it was on her in previous posts! Now it barely fits!

This used to be the only outfit that fit her little body...

This morning was Aubrey's 2 month check-up and it went great! She is 11lb 13oz, 22 1/2 in long and totally on track as far as her growth is concerned. It was fun to see that she is doing well but if you have ever taken your baby in for his or her 2 month visit you know that it's not very fun - they get the first set of vaccines at this visit. Aubrey did a great job though and only cried when the shots were being given and actually smiled at the nurse when they were done! It was nice to see that she wasn't too upset by all of it. She slept the whole way home and about an hour afterwards in her carseat once we got in and since then she has been napping on and off and in a fairly good mood and so far no fever so that's a relief! The rest of our day looks like getting a lot of laundry done now that our washer is fixed and letting Aubrey recoup from her big day. I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

8 weeks and counting

2008-05-22T19:51:00.001-07:00

I can't believe our little baby girl is almost 2 months old already. She has outgrown many of her newborn clothes and is almost out of her 0-3 month clothes already! It is so fun to dress her up pretty! I feel like I am playing house with one of my baby dolls but she is more fun for sure. She is getting really good at her nighttime schedule by sleeping 5 or more hours for her first big stretch of the night. I usually try to put her down at 11 or so and then she will sleep until 4 at least but usually 5. After that she is up every 2 hours or so which is not too bad since I have already gotten a pretty decent chunk of sleep already. What a good daughter to let mommy sleep!

Troy's parents have been visiting us here in Chicago since the beginning of May so we have gotten lots of practice being out with the baby. So far Aubrey is doing pretty well. We have learned that by 5 or so she gets CRANKY but besides that she is good. I think she gets tired but doesn't want to go to sleep so she gets frustrated too - not a good combination. Luckily during the night when she is sleeping she can put herself to sleep so when I'm done feeding her I just burp her and put her back in the bassinet and she lays there quietly until she's asleep - again, what a blessing she is!

This past week I went to my daycare center where I work and discussed my hours for when I will return to work. It looks like I will be working in a 2 year old room for the summer and will work about 7:30-1:00 with a 1/2 hour break in there to go and feed little Aubery. This will work out great because with the warm weather it is easier to get up earlier in the morning and then I will have the whole day out of work and I can also keep Aubrey on a normal breast feeding schedule which was extremely important to me. Come fall I will be back with my little angels in the Kindergarten and after school programs and will be working 11:45-5:45. In the fall I will also be able to keep Aubery on her regular schedule. This makes going back to work much easier for me and her. We were really blessed for me to find this job.

I don't have a ton more to update you on. I don't usually go on and on like this with my writing but I feel like I haven't shared anything with you all in a while. Troy has discovered that Aubrey calms down and actually seems to enjoy sitting on his lap and watching the bright colors of his iTunes visualizer (if you don't have iTunes it is basically psychedelic looking colors that stream across the screen while the song plays). It's a pretty funny sight to see. Troy's sister, Jill, and her boyfriend are coming in to Chicago tonight at midnight so we will get to spend this weekend with them which we are really looking forward to!

I will stop boring you with all of this. Thanks for tuning in!

Picture Time!

2008-05-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

We finished up our photo shoot tonight with Aubrey and I thought you might enjoy looking at them! If you are interested you can see them at www.flashportraits.com and look under "My Portraits" then put our last name Bartholomew and then the password is Aubrey. There are 2 sessions so take a look at both!

We're All Smiles!

2008-05-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of my family members, friends, and expectant friends as well! I hope you all had as great of a day as I did. This mother's day was of course my first and it was an unexpectedly emotional experience for me. It was so wonderful to be able to spend this day with my family.

Things around here have been changing every day. The biggest two changes are smiling and sleeping (for me they go hand in hand!) You can see in the pictures above that Aubrey has discovered how to smile and is doing it all the time! It is so absolutely adorable to see her little lips form that cute smile and sometimes she even laughs a bit. To hear that little giggle of hers is an especially fun experience. As far as sleep goes it appears that we have reached a new territory of "sleeping through the night"as they call it. For the last 4 or 5 nights Aubrey has been sleeping about 4 hours and then waking up to eat and then sleeping another couple but last night she slept a whole 5 before waking me up! This is so exciting to me because I am finally getting into REM sleep again which means I can feel really rested during the day. It was so weird to notice that since I wasn't sleeping long I was never having any dreams! What a blessing this new sleep pattern is!

Besides smiling and sleeping Aubrey is doing lots of growing up. She is fully into 3 month clothes and honestly probably won't fit in them much longer because they are about maxed out on her as it is. She is also very active, as she always has been. She doesn't like to be held like a baby anymore being cradled in your arms, she always prefers to be sitting up or even standing by her own strength. I am waiting for her to just stand up and walk around one of these days! It's scary how strong she is! She also slept for her first nap in her crib yesterday which is the picture of her in the black dress. It is exciting to see how my little girl is growing and developing so well (and early in many cases) I just hope she stays my baby girl for a little while longer!

She's Growing Fast!

2008-05-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

I don't have a ton to report right now. It has been pretty much business as usual for a while here. Aubrey is sleeping 2 1/2 to 3 hours at a time at night so I am up about 2 or 3 times at least each night but the good part is that she goes to sleep immediately after I feed her. In fact, I don't even need to put her to sleep I can just lay her in her bassinet and she puts herself to sleep! Works well for me because I am on a schedule now of waking up at certain times and I can pretty much get the right amounts of sleep to function like a human during the day without having to nap all the time! It feels so good to start feeling normal again!

Aubrey had her one month visit to the doctor this week. I was excited to find out that she has grown from 7lb 4oz at birth to a whopping 10lb 1oz! She has also grown 2 inches in length. I am so happy to see our girl getting bigger and stronger and healthier by the day. She is growing so much that she is outgrowing many of her clothes that she wore when we brought her home from the hospital. In fact, she can fit into some 3 month clothes already! It is both a happy and a bit sad thing to watch her grow up but I keep finding myself feeling the same way - that I don't want her to outgrow the stage that she is in. The funny thing is that I felt like that when she was 1 week then at 2 weeks and so on until now when she is almost 6 weeks old! I realize now that I fall in love with her every day over and over again and I really don't want her to go back to being a day old because then I couldn't be with the baby that she has grown to be now. What a sweet little blessing we have been given. I can't wait to see what she becomes as she continues to grow and mature.

I am very excited to finally spend some time with Troy this weekend. He has been working tons of extra hours at work and works late every day of the week and also works at least one if not both of the weekend days every week. I am fortunate to have a husband that works so hard which has allowed me to take an extra month off of work to stay home and also cut back the amount of hours I will work when I return. I don't mean to look boastful in this entry, I just want to share the wonderful things that are happening in my life with the people I care about. I hope everyone out there reading this is doing well and enjoying the (hopefully) beauty of Spring!

She's still here

2008-04-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

It's weird. It's like "this was fun, see you next time" and she's supposed to go home. But she IS home. We are her home! It's so crazy because you just feel like you can't be old enough and mature enough (well, that's questionable) to be raising your own kid and there she is every morning when you wake up. She doesn't ever leave. It's finally sunk in that she is ours and she's not going anywhere! I can't believe how big Aubrey is growing too. I feel like she is a totally different baby then the one that was born 4 weeks ago. She is already growing out of some of her outfits which is crazy because when we first brought her home she couldn't even fit into anything so much so that the grandparents had to go out and buy her stuff! She is sleeping pretty well at night (with exception to last night which was a disaster - we'll just skip talking about that) eating about every 3 hours and actually sleeping in between. She still grunts all night long but I have learned to tune that out mostly. She has gone out for her first girls lunch, been shopping many times with me and we have even gone on walks outside now that it's getting nice! I am not feeling cooped up anymore which is nice and I think it's good for her to get used to being out since in a few weeks she will be out a lot when I return to work. I have decided to take a longer maternity leave and will not be heading back until sometime in June. Life with this little baby is crazy but who can resist a face like that?

Happy Birthday Aubrey!

2008-04-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby girl is already 2 weeks old! I remember 2 weeks ago from right now I was being wheeled into the delivery room and was so nervous and excited! Today my baby girl is 14 days old and has already grown so much! I am noticing that some of her tiny outfits are already getting too small on her. It is so sad watching her outgrow things already but it is so nice to see her getting bigger and stronger every day. She is also doing so well with eating and is getting on a somewhat regular schedule. She eats pretty much every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day and during the night she is doing about the same except for sometimes when she decides to stay awake all night (which was the case last night). I am hoping that she will get her days and nights switched around pretty soon here. I try to keep her up during the day but she is impossible to wake when she is sleepy. I am going to give her a bath tonight so that will make her get up and hopefully Troy will play with her enough to get her sleepy during the right times! We're having company this weekend so that will be fun. My Aunt Karin is visiting us so I will have to play fashion show with my little sweetie and get her in some of her cute little outfits finally. Not that her outfits now aren't cute (how can you not think everything is cute on this little tiny body?) but now I get to put on some of her "going out" clothes. Anyway, like I said earlier things are going well but please pray for us that she would get into a sleeping schedule and stop her 2-6 parties that she keeps having. Sorry this post is kind of random but I'm really tired!!! Will post again soon...

10 Days Ago

2008-04-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that 10 days ago I was walking around the mall trying to break my water and having light contractions and scared and nervous about having a baby. I can't believe that this little baby that we now call Aubrey was scrunched up inside my belly and I was getting so tired of feeling heavy and huge and just over pregnancy and ready to hold my little baby. It is so crazy to think about all of my mixed emotions and worries and know that through all of that she is here and beautiful and perfect. The love that you have for your baby after she comes out is so amazing. I was told that it is one of the most spiritual experiences you ever have and I couldn't agree more. I have a renewed understanding and belief that there is only one God who could create such a miracle and do it is such an incredible manner. When I was pushing her out my doctor told me at one point to sit up and look down and I watched her as she came out into the world. What an experience. I will never forget that moment. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Thank you also for your encouragement during pregnancy. I am already realizing that the worry and stress that I thought would be gone after the baby came out and I knew things were ok are only stronger now that she's here and my responsibility. Please continue to pray for her and for us to be good examples and lead her in a life of loving and living for God. What an amazing God we really do have.

A Picture's Worth...

2008-03-25T22:00:00.001-07:00

Aubrey Marie Bartholomew
March 25th, 2008
8:48PM
19 and 1/2 inches
7lbs 4oz

12:05PM on March 25th, 2005

2008-03-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

So we're still at the hospital just waiting for this baby to come out. Kristin has taken some pain medication and it has helped a lot. Pretty soon here we should have another update on how she's dilating but for now we just press on. Coach just had a sandwich at the cafeteria to help get him through this whole process. Also, coach checks to see if there are babies in the nursery but so far there were only two early this morning. That's all for now, talk to you soon!

3/25 10:03 am

2008-03-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

We're at the hospital and I'm getting loaded up on pitocin and I'm making progress. When I woke up this morning my water broke and I lost my plug all at the same time while I was getting ready to come in anyway - good timing huh? When I got here I was 2 cm dialated still and 100% effaced. I am having contractions every 2 minutes or so and they are definitely getting stronger. This will probably be the last time I feel like updating so I'll try to get Troy to put a few posts up here.

Contractions Here We Come!

2008-03-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

It is Monday 3/24 at 3:55 pm and I have been having contractions since last night. They are not very strong yet (if this is as mild as my Dr. said they were I am getting a little nervous!) but they are about 8 minutes apart. I am 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced so that's good news. Troy and I just finished up some last minute things around the house that we've needed to do to get ready and we are going to leave in a minute and walk around the mall to try to get this show on the road. If it doesn't happen naturally tonight then my Dr. has scheduled to induce me tomorrow morning at 8:00am. Please pray that this will happen on it's own as much as possible as I am a bit nervous about being induced. Either way, we will have a baby in no time! Yay!

It's my due date!

2008-03-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

And still now baby... March 20th came and is quickly passing me by without a baby. I am not having as hard of a time with it as I thought I would because I went to the doctor last night and found out that the baby has completely dropped and is in the zero position which means that the next step is - out! Unfortunately I was only dialated to 1 still so he offered to schedule to induce me next Tuesday but I really felt like I should wait it out a little bit more and see if this baby will come out on her own. I did decide to do a little to help out though and went walking after work for almost 1 1/2 miles (which before would have been nothing but when you are 40 weeks pregnant it is quite an accomplishment trust me!) I am hoping that this will help get the baby moving around and some more dialating starting.

I am officially on my maternity leave now, which is fun but also kind of scary to me. I am just afraid that if the baby doesn't make her way out in the next week I will have wasted a week where I could have been making money and saving up off time for when the baby is actually here. Hopefully that won't be the case and she will come out this weekend! I think my bosses think I am crazy because when I told them that I on Monday I have a 2 hr doctor's appointment and they are planning on probably inducing me on Wednesday if she doesn't come out on her own before then I explained that "I probably couldn't come in on Monday because I will be busy at my appointment during the time I would work and I couldn't come in on Wednesday because they will be inducing me, but I could probably come and cover some breaks on Tuesday" her response was "I think if you are being induced on Wednesday you should probably use Tuesday to prepare..." Haha I guess I just feel like I can't stop working for some reason. It's just in my nature to keep going! I can't decide if I should slow down or speed up to get this baby out. On one hand people say to rest and "put your feet up" all the time to me but on the other hand walking is supposed to get things going. I guess I haven't mastered walking with my feet up yet. Maybe next time...

Today was a beautiful day in Chicago with the temp reaching about 50 degrees but tonight and tomorrow we have a winter storm warning and they are calling for 6 inches of snow! Not a very nice welcome to Spring if you ask me. I am hoping they are wrong because I really don't want to be driving to the hospital in the middle of a snow storm. Then again, it could be another week anyway.

Please pray for me because I am getting very uncomfortable all of a sudden in the last couple of days and am getting very anxious to get this baby out of her and regain some of my own personal being again. On the bright side, it looks like I'll have a baby within the week!!!

One of these days

2008-03-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

First off, if you noticed that the countdown at the top was different it is because I have finally fixed it and put in the real due date which is this coming Thursday, March 20th. The old one was off by a week or so but now everything is up to date (it only took me 9 months). So the time is coming and coming quick! It could be any day now and Troy and I are on the edge of our seats waiting for our new little arrival. At my visit to the doctor's office this past Wednesday I was told that I am 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. The baby is still high but is slowly starting to drop and his words were "I'll see you on Wednesday, possibly before then." So I am very excited and ready for this show to get going! Like I said earlier, any day now...

On a lighter note, tonight when Troy and I were eating dinner at Burger King I encountered a first - I couldn't fit into the booth! Well, I could fit but my stomach was literally pressing up against the table so we had to move to a table with regular chairs. It really was very funny and gave Troy and I something to laugh about during this somewhat scary and crazy time.

I don't have a whole lot more to update you with. Just waiting and more waiting right now. I am still working but my hours were cut back to almost part time this coming week so I'm taking it easy and trying to walk and make this baby drop into place. I will keep you updated and if I don't happen to update you can make the assumption yourself and you'll probably be right! :)

I'm Getting Impatient!

2008-03-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

The title says it all - I am getting impatient! I am ready for this baby to make her way into the world and stop all the waiting. I guess she's got to "cook" a little longer but I am getting more and more tired by the day. Last Friday I went to the doctor and was disappointed to hear that I have not made any new progress and the baby is still very high. I keep reminding myself that these things can literally change in a day and that she might come to us tonight or tomorrow but it is still very frustrating and stressful. I can't believe how difficult of a time both Troy and I are having with this constant waiting and wondering if today is the day. I have been working a little less which helps but I am still so physically exhausted by the end of the day it is a struggle to make it up the stairs to come home (granted it is 2 large flights of stairs, so I guess I will give myself a break on that one!) Only a couple of weeks left if I go over and less if I go on time so that's a positive thing. I guess I just need to keep waiting and remembering what all this craziness is for!

2 more weeks (at the most)

2008-03-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

I figured that I would finally get some pictures up here to show you my second baby shower, some fun from my birthday dinner and a final pregnancy picture. Although the picture doesn't capture the rushed trips to the bathroom and the waddling that has replace "normal people walking" it does give a good view of my ever expanding belly. Can't wait for this baby to come out and play!!!

These are pictures from my birthday dinner with Troy. I feel like such a lucky girl :)

This is what a 9 1/2 month pregnant woman who is about to pop looks like

So I figure I should probably get something up here quick because I am starting to feel like this baby could come out any day now. I could very well be posting many more messages before she comes but in case I don't I wanted to give a little update. I am on "Labor Alert" as my friend called it in her blog (she has the same due date as me, how crazy huh?) and I have definitely dropped according to all of the women at my work. I do feel like things feel different now as I don't feel quite as short of breath and when I sleep or sit for a while I am noticing my hips are starting to ache a bit, which they weren't a week ago. Sleeping has also recently changed with many more trips to the bathroom during the night (I think I got up 4 times last night) and I have to rotate myself every few hours - I feel like a burger being flipped. Also when I look at my profile I notice it's not as high and "bouncy" as it used to look but rather low and kinda lopsided to the bottom. I am hoping that when I go to the doctor on Friday he will give me good news. As of 1 week ago I was 1/2 cm dialated (I know that's nothing but at least it's a start) so I am having big hopes for this Friday! We'll see!

I have been working like crazy around the house getting the baby's room ready. I have everything bought and washed and all set to be used. Troy has gotten a lot ready too. After we went to our birthing class last weekend he started the daddy-to-be freak out with packing bags and telling me not to buy milk at the store because I might go into labor that night! I couldn't help but laugh at him and his response was "you've know about the baby for 9 months now, I feel like I just found out today!" Haha, wow what a thought! Yes I have been well aware that we are going to have a baby through all of the good and bad parts of pregnancy.

The past 2 weeks have been very eventful. 2 weekends ago we attended our childbirth education class at the hospital where we watched movies showing us live births during which I sat on the floor afraid I would pass out and we also learned different breathing techniques for during labor. I was really glad that Troy and I went to this and Troy has been really great about helping me practice some of the breathing and getting everything prepared for the big day. On Sunday night after the class (during which I felt absolutely fine I must say) I started to feel a little sick to my stomach so I decided to quick eat some dinner and take a nap. During the nap I was woken up by horrible stomach cramps and ended up calling my doctor who instrutcted me to go to the Labor and Delivery department at our hospital. I was really scared and they kept me overnight on a monitor and did an ultrasound in the morning to check my pancreas, liver and gallbladder but determined that it was just the stomach flu. Take it from me, you don't want to get the stomach flu and you especially don't want to get it when you are 9 months pregnant! I took a few days off of work and and feeling perfectly fine now and I am well aquainted with the Labor and Delivery ward at the hospital A hidden bonus I suppose!

Last weekend was my third and last baby shower. A couple of my friends threw it for me and I had a wonderful time! We played some fun games where they tried to guess how big my waist was by using toilet paper (I said that was fine as long as they didn't try to guess my thighs haha!) and made up names combining Kristin and Troy, which we found out is not an easy task. I haven't decided yet completely but I doubt I will use the names Stinky or Kitten, although thank you to Brooke and Traci for the good suggestions!

I am done rambling now. You are officially updated. I know there is a request for pictures but I don't have any right at the moment. I will try to get the up here before I lose it but until then it's up to your imagination. If you need help, just try to think of me with an elephant strapped on the front of me. Ok, let's not go crazy. Maybe just a baby elephant. :)

Now I get it...

2008-02-22T20:01:00.001-08:00

Now I get it. I totally get it. I know what it means to say you "feel as big as a house" and you're tired of pregnancy and when will this baby EVER come out of me??? I know what women mean when they say that your legs are swollen and your fingers look like sausages! I know what the sleepless nights and the backaches and the cravings for chocolate ice cream EVERY DAY that you are trying to avoid because you don't want to deliver a 10lb baby is like. I know how scary it is to think about the fact that even though you are whining about this baby being in you the thought that eventually it HAS to come out of you and you have NO choice in the matter is so much more disturbing! I know what it feels like to wonder if you need a seatbelt extender on the airplane and to be told to put your seatbelt in the car "under your belly" when you are wearing a thick wool jacket and there really is no way to find "under your belly" let alone get the belt under there. I now know that going to the bathroom 3 times a night is not something that only crazy people do and waking up with an ache somewhere new is almost a game that you can play at this point. I know what it's like to feel like an old lady because by the time you reach the top of your stairs you are totally winded and just want to sit down but then when you go to sit down you realize you really aren't comfortable there so you go to lay in your bed at 6:00 in the evening! I know what it feels like to not be able to tie your shoes and not be able to see your toes.

And yet somehow when I go to bed at night I still sit and wait to feel the baby move even though I have felt her do it a hundred times before. And I find myself singing songs and rocking in the glider in the baby's room just because. And I even start to cry at those sappy songs on the radio and picture Troy dancing with her when she's 3 or something silly like that. I even start to get sad that the baby is growing too fast already when I look at clothes that won't fit her anymore next year. I don't even know this little person in my belly and yet I love her so much. Now I get it. I totally get it.

Less than 6 weeks

2008-02-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I don't have any pictures but I wanted to put up a little post just so you didn't think I forgot about you. Things have been crazy around her the last two weeks! I have been sick, Troy has been sick, we both got over our sicknesses, mine came back and besides that I had a baby shower and celebrated my 24th birthday. What an insane time in our lives! My coworkers threw me an absolutely beautiful shower with tons of gifts, an awesome cake, great food, and such a nice time with everyone. I felt so overwhelmed because I knew they threw showers but I had no idea the extent that they went to. Also, since i have only been working there since late October I felt somewhat unworthy of all of the fuss. I suppose that working at a daycare center does lend itself to having people around that enjoy babies and showers! It was such a great time and I just continue to feel so blessed that I was led to that job through all of the changes that took place last fall.

My birthday was this past weekend and I was thoroughly spoiled once again by my amazing husband Troy. He took me out for an awesome dinner at a restaurant in downtown Libertyville called the Tavern where he had a cake delivered from the bakery across the street and gave me some great smelling perfume, a BEAUTIFUL diamond ring and a couple of other sentimentel gifts. I couldn't have asked for more. On Saturday we went out to grab a yummy dinner with my family and back to my parent's house for some awesome cake and ice cream. I got some great presents there too. I couldn't have enjoyed me weekend more!

The baby is still kicking up a storm. I am starting to get the "you look like you're going to pop" comments, which I can't argue with. Every once in a while Troy looks at me and is startled by how huge my baby "bump" is getting. This baby is about 18 inches long by now and over five pounds so I guess I shouldn't be surprised by my increasing belly! I am enjoying the pregnancy but am really getting ready for this little kiddo to come out of me! I am getting nervous though about the whole labor and delivery deal. I have been reading up and sometimes I am more nervous after I read about it than I was before. It's also getting weird because I am to the point where I could go into labor at any time so I feel like I need to get prepared with a bag to bring to the hospital and a plan for afterwards. Oh and another thing, names! How do you name a baby? They are going to carry this name with them for the rest of their lives! Ahhh! I am getting a little stressed about it and we have a great girls name with a good backup and our boy's name is good too but it's still a hard decision. I guess we'll figure it out, right? Well, until next time, go out and enjoy a McDonald's coke for me - my one craving that I will not let myself indulge in until after March!

We officially have a baby's room!

2008-01-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well this weekend Troy and I have been busy little parent-to-be working on getting our little baby's room together. We were so excited to find out on Saturday that Babies R Us actually had our crib and dresser in stock rather than us having to order it and wait for a couple of weeks like I thought we were going to. The only problem was that since we were expecting to have to order the items and wait for them to come in, when we found out that they were there at the store we didn't have any plans for how to get them home and more importantly how to get them up the stairs! The dresser alone came fully assembled and weighed about 140 pounds! We were so fortunate that Steven and Jennifer we able to come out right then and help us. Without their help we couldn't have gotten the furniture home this weekend. Thanks guys!!!

I have been working on the room all weekend and I haven't gotten it finished (obviously no decorations yet since we don't know 100% for sure whether it's a boy or girl) but we got most of the stuff out and I did my first (of MANY I'm sure) load of baby laundry! How exciting!

2 Months To Go!

2008-01-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

Wow has it already been over two weeks since I posted? I can't believe how the time has flown by. It has been so incredibly busy here that I just feel like January is disappearing (which is ok with me because that means we're getting closer to D-Day... delivery day of course).

Troy's parents were out here a few weeks ago to hang out and buy us our glider and we had a great time. After many hours and at least 10 different stores we finally found the glider that I was looking for to match the crib and dresser. Yay! I guess it's true that persistence really does pay off. We had a fun time seeing the new daddy put it together and got some great pics all throughout the night. We even got to dress daddy up, which is always a fun way to torture him!

California was also a blast. It was so great to see all of the family again. It had been over 2 years since I had visited out there and I hadn't seen a lot of the family since our wedding in 2005. The baby shower was so much fun, from playing dirty diaper games (which were really melted chocolate bars) to getting tons of awesome presents... I couldn't have asked for more! We got tons of adorable clothes and some great goodies like a video monitor from my aunt and uncle, a baby swing from my grandparents, and our stroller and car seat from my parents along with other wonderful gifts. Thanks to everyone for making that day so special for us! I will get some pictures up of the shower soon!

Right now I am fighting a cold has been bothering me for over a week now and it's getting a bit depressing. It's really hard not being able to take any medicine and I think that is actually making the cold last longer and spread down to my throat and chest since I woke up yesterday with a slight cough and it is gradually getting worse. Troy is away this weekend at Willow's High School winter camp... I miss my sweetie :( Can't wait for him to get home tomorrow night.

As far as baby news goes I went to the doctor yesterday and at 31 weeks (only 9 to go!) the baby is head-down and in birthing position. The doctor told me that 96% of babies stay this way so it's looking good that I will have a normal delivery which I was really concerned about since both of my 20 week ultrasounds showed the baby as breech. I am finally starting to not be quite so worried all the time and am letting some of that stuff go. I am getting pretty tired of the pregnancy and Troy and I both are just ready for this little baby to get here! Whenever I go to a doctor's appointment my students ask me if I saw the baby and why I didn't get the baby out. I think they think there is a big zipper or something so I can just open it up and look at the little squirt. Too bad there isn't :(

Hopefully next time I post my cold will be gone and the temperature outside will be above -2 degrees. As for now, it's colds all around!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T20:09:00.001-08:00

Wow I can't believe how fast every week seems to be going. I remember back in the fall when each day seemed to drag by and now it's like I can't even keep up with how fast life is moving! Troy and I had a great Christmas just hanging out with my family for the day. New Years Eve was quiet with Troy and I just staying home and video chatting with Troy's parents for a while and then falling asleep... at 11:30! How lame are we??? I can't really believe we did that, definitely a first for us. I don't know what Troy's excuse is but I'm sleeping for two! :) Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are so excited to see all of the family that will be visiting and that we will visit in the next 2 weeks! Yay!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T18:41:00.000-08:00

Me and the baby at 26 weeks

show off!

Another 26 week side view.
In case you don't count your time by weeks that is 6 1/2 months.

Thanksgiving

A picture of Trucker Troy on moving day... I couldn't resist!

And in case you haven't seen her, this is our kitty Rizzo :)

Wow where has the time gone? I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post! Sorry I am such a slacker lately. Things have been great but busy around here with Troy and I both working a ton and all of the festivities around the holidays. I'm getting really excited about Christmas! Only 2 more days! This year is strange since it is our last year as a couple without the baby. I am really trying to enjoy all of the moments especially right now since things will be different in just a few months. It's kind of scary to think of the big changes that will be taking place so soon. I am so excited to have the baby but to be honest I am a little sad to be losing some of the couple stuff that go away when it's no longer just the two of you.

Thanksgiving was great. Lots of yummy food and as always a fun time with the family. I remember early on in my pregnancy when I was so sick I was talking (ok almost crying) to my doctor about my nausea and I said I hoped I would be ok by Thanksgiving. Amazing that it's been so long since those days when at the time it felt as if they would never end! I'm feeling great now, completely morning sickness free. I do start to feel a little gross once in a while when I stay up too late but with me being as tired as I am we are rarely up past 10 anymore! I feel like such an old fart!

I am definitely popping out at this point to say the least. I went shopping with my friend Traci a few weeks ago and I asked her if people could tell I was pregnant by looking at me yet and she laughed at me. It's like you don't notice the changes in yourself as much because you see them every day but then you see someone who hasn't seen you in a while and it's obvious that you have definitely changed! It's fun and I am really enjoying being so visibly pregnant at this point. The last month has been drastic as far as that goes. At this point I'm just a week or so away from being in my third trimester and the baby is already over a foot long and about 2 lbs or so. No wonder things are growing!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family. The next few weeks will be really busy for Troy and I so I will be able to get some more postings up soon. Troy's parents will be visiting us in the first weekend of January then we will be going to California for our baby shower the second weekend. January will be such a fun month! I can't wait! Until next time, take care! Love you all!

Holiday Fun

2007-11-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

I thought you might get a kick out of this. It is me in the middle, my cousin Becky on the left and my cousin Amanda on the right. You have to check it out!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9622879287

(courtesy of my Aunt Lisa) Love you Aunt Lisa and all my wonderful cousins!!!! :) Can't wait to see you soon!!!!!!!!!

It's 85% a girl!

2007-11-18T20:20:00.001-08:00

Well those are the odds, according to the second ultrasound I had last Friday. So, I am assuming we are having a girl (you can see that from the things we registered for) and Troy thinks "those aren't very good numbers" so he is not sure what he thinks the baby is yet! Oh well! If we are surprised in the delivery room then it will be fun too! Luckily everything is returnable!!!

I know I have been so bad about pictures so one of these days when you tune into my blog you'll be bombarded with pictures, but not today... sorry but it has been so much work getting our new place together and starting the new job and getting ready for the baby! I don't even know if our printer is up yet to scan our sonogram pictures from last week. I will bug Troy to get it up and running soon!

Like I said earlier we are registered for all of our baby wants and needs. We spent over 2 hours this past Saturday walking around Baby's R Us with the little scanning gun thingy. I had a blast!!! So you can feel free to go to www.babiesrus.com and check out our wish list! Just go to the area on the right that says Baby Registry and put in my name (Kristin Bartholomew in case you forgot the spelling!)

Anyway, until I have some more fun pictures to put up here this is all I can leave you with for now. I'll be back soon with some more pics of me and the family asap.

"It looks like a girl to me, but I could be wrong..."

2007-11-07T17:01:00.002-08:00

So... yesterday was supposed to be the big day when we found out if it would be a little K or a little T coming into this world soon (but not soon enough!) After an hour or so doing an ultrasound we found out that our little baby does have all of the necessary parts, however, we don't know for sure if it has that "extra" part or not. The technician said that it looks like a girl to her but that she could be wrong... how reassuring!!! So, don't go out and buy out all of the pink stuff you can get your hands on just yet! We are going in for another ultrasound on a week from Friday because the little stinker wasn't cooperating for another part of it either... I'm guessing that it MUST be a little T! Haha... It was fun anyway and I am getting REALLY excited right about now. I can feel the baby move a TON and it was so reassuring to see all of the movement even during the ultrasound. I can feel him/her bouncing around all the time now. I can't wait till Troy can feel it too.

Another big thing that has been going on is that we finally moved into our new apartment. Last weekend we got all of our furniture and boxes over to the new place and then the fun began of opening them all up and finding places for everything to go. Why does it seem like half of the boxes are full of the "misc" stuff that really has no home of its own? So frustrating! I am just ready to get completely into the new place and have all of our stuff up. Hopefully by the end of next week!

I hope everyone is doing well! Sorry I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks... it's been crazy with all of the moving and such. I will try to keep this more updated from now on and I promise I will put up some of the ultrasound pictures as soon as our computer set-ups are all put together back home! Until them, it could be a girl.... :)

2007-11-07T17:01:00.001-08:00

Even More News!!!

2007-10-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

You might be thinking that we know if we have a boy or a girl right now. And if you are... sorry :( not yet, give it about 2 more weeks. But there is some new exciting news besides that. I talked before about Troy's new job and how we will be moving to Waukegan. That has caused some stress for me since I then needed to get some sort of a job as well. I had been thinking about substituting in the schools up there, like I was doing in Chicago, but then I realized that once the baby came I would be totally out of ideas of what to do. I had a day off this Tuesday and decided to start a serious job search in the almost-Wisconsin area that we will be moving to. I opened up my internet, went to a site that I use to look for jobs, and the first one there was a job that sounded very interesting to me. I called up the contact on the posting and scheduled a meeting with her about 2 hours later that same day. I drove up and discussed the job, we talked for about an hour. Then I scheduled a second interview for Friday. I went up Friday, spent 2 hours there, we both got all of our questions answered, and I was offered the job about 3 hours later on the phone! I have no idea how I got a job that quickly but I am very excited about it! I will be working at a Christian Day Care Center doing Kindergarten enrichment and an after-school program. I will work 11-6 (which works great for me since I HATE waking up early) and the best part about it is there is infant daycare starting at 6 weeks right there so I will only be 2 doors away from my little baby while I work! I figure then we can take our time in the morning, drive to and from work together, and it will be an answer to so many prayers! So the plan is I will start on Tuesday (I have to go get my work physical and TB test on Monday) and Troy starts his job on Monday! We will both be starting jobs within a day of eachother and we will be commuting out there together until our place gets rented and we can move out there for good. This time has been reminder after reminder of how God really is in control and you just need to let him. On that note, we are waiting for someone to sublet our apartment. We really need to get out there within the next couple of weeks so please pray that that happens soon!!!

Also, I figured I would update you on my upset stomach which is... dun dun dun duuuun.... going away! I am only sick in the very late afternoon if it has been a really taxing day. Other than that I am pretty good. It is such a relief to not feel so bad anymore.

oh, and did I mention I CAN FEEL THE BABY KICK! :)

Still Sick but Excited About the New News!

2007-10-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Well you can tell by the title that I am not in a wonderful place yet in my second trimester, even though it is already 1/3 done. I thought that my morning sickness would just go away but it really hasn't. I would say it has decreased by maybe 1/4 or 1/3 but that's it. It is also being replaced with a lot of headaches and being really tired all the time. This might have something to do with the class full of devils that I was put into for the last 2 weeks of subbing but I'm not positive! Besides the crappiness of my everlasting morning sickness I am getting some fun perks from being pregnant. For one thing, I totally show now which is nice. People are asking me and some don't even ask they just assume or know. My stomach is getting rounder every day to hold our little baby inside and it's exciting to get to wear maternity clothes and feel that my stomach is getting harder and more solid. I am also getting really excited about finding out what sex it is in 4 weeks!!! I can't wait! Then we can start figuring out what names to chose from. I told Troy last night that the day we find out the sex I want to go buy his/her "coming home from the hospital" outfit. I have had them picked out for like 2 months now! :) I know, I'm a dork.

Besides baby news we have some really exciting news!!! Troy has accepted a new position at a company called TC Furlong out in Lake Forest. For those of you who don't know where Lake Forest is, it is basically out by the huge Gurnee Mills outlet mall and Great America. We will be living in Waukeegan which is right next to Lake Forest. We will be so close to Wisconsin you can actually throw a rock and hit it! Ok, I am exagerating, but not by that much. We will almost be cheeseheads... oh well! The place where we will be living is BEAUTIFUL. Besides the actual living places being great there is also a heated pool, work out facility, tennis courts, clubhouse, internet cafe, business center, playground... it honestly feels somewhat like a resort. We are so excited to move out there and will be doing so sometime within the next month or so. For now we just need someone to sublet our current place, then, we're outta here! Can't wait to be in such a great neighborhood.

Well I guess that's about all the news right now. I will try to get some more pictures on here soon. I better get better about taking pictures when the baby comes!

Finally Starting to Show!

2007-09-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

Take One - of course he has to do something weird

Take Two - and another weird one...

Take Three... I didn't trust him so I beat him to the punch!

Troy and I at Joe's Crab Shack. Yay for new hair!

The whole family eating lots of yummy food.

It's funny that for the first time in my life I actually WANT to have a belly! It's also funny that what has been called my stomach for the past 23 years has suddenly been changed to "belly." Weird. Anyway, I can finally feel like a pregnant mommy-to-be because I look like one (a little at least). I am still at the point where people kind of wonder... double take... don't stare... is she??? But those who do know see it and those who don't say "I was wondering but didn't want to say anything" when I tell them. It feels good and it is a fun time right now. I am into my second trimester and my nausea is getting somewhat better. I am only sick every other day, sometimes even only every 3rd day. What a relief! However now that my nausea is slowing down I am having a lot harder time sleeping because of indigestion and difficulty finding a good sleeping position. I am a big stomach sleeper but now it feels really weird and uncomfortable to lay on my stomach at night. And I am also afraid of sleeping on my back a lot because it can cause less oxygen to be pumped inside of me because of the weight of the baby and the uterus. I don't know if all of the "un-comfort" is all in my head or not but I am thinking that it is time to get a body pillow any day now!

With my stomach feeling a little better I have finally gotten to get out and do some fun stuff. A couple of weekends ago Troy and I went to Lake Geneva and did a little shopping and got some good food. I bought a book called "Urban Babies Wear Black" which is hilarious! I have also had a fun time shopping around getting ideas for a stroller, car seat, jumpy thing, high chair, crib, bassinet, changing table, glider, pictures, lamps, books, clothes... gosh, it takes a lot of stuff to keep such a little baby happy!!! I am so excited to get a baby's room started. We have cleared out the second bedroom and are going to use that for the little guy/girl. I figure when we find out in about 6 weeks we will paint it either pink or blue (depending on what we find out of course). That will be so fun!

This weekend was my dad's birthday and we went out for dinner to celebrate. I have a couple of pictures up of my family and us at dinner. No belly shots though, although Troy was comparing his to mine out in the parking lot... we said we were having twins! :) It was very funny.

Well, I am hoping to post more often now that I am not sick and now that I have more fun stuff to write about besides being sick. Sorry for the long delay but hopefully this was a fun one to read!

Thanks!

2007-09-16T17:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has sent us such cute things for the baby. I have gotten such cute clothes, blankets, towels, toys, books, and some beautiful sentimental things. I wrote out thank you cards a couple of months ago and have just never gotten to send them because of my weird schedule. I hope everyone understands that we are very greatful and I have simply been too sick to do any of my normal things but your kindess was in no way overlooked. Hope everyone is doing well and feel free to leave a comment to say hi and fill me in on anything new in your lives too!

12 Weeks!

2007-09-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

Well today makes 12 weeks for me and the ol' baby in my belly! According to my baby website that keeps me up to date with my progress the baby is 2 inches long (about the size of a lemon). I don't completely understand the whole lemon thing (is it round like that too?) but nonetheless I guess it gives me some sense of the size. I am still not showing but am feeling like I am getting thicker and thicker around the waist every day. I am wearing mostly all maternity clothes now because nothing is comfortable and even though the maternity clothes are way too big I am just rolling down the panel and the rest fit just fine. It gives me that extra room that I need to make up for my "baby bloat" as I am calling it. Not quite as cute as a baby bump... :( The side-view picture of me was taken tonight to show you all exactly what I am talking about. I realize it is not the most flattering picture of me but I still thought you might enjoy seeing it. I will continue to update every few weeks or month to show you all my growing belly. Maybe one of these days it will finally be cute!

I also put in a few pictures of Troy and our cat Rizzo in case you haven't gotten to meet either of them. They were both taken tonight so everything on here is up to date. I promise to get some more pictures up soon. I have just been a little under the weather lately still and taking pictures is pretty much the last thing I think to do at night!

Food Cravings and Aversion

2007-09-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well you have heard this before but I am still fighting the morning sickness and it is getting really old. My sister-in-law Jill told me to post the foods that I have had cravings for and to be honest there haven't been many. There have really been more aversions to certain things than anything. However I will make a top 5 list of foods just for your enjoyment :)

Top Foods I Have Wanted:
1. Cheeseburgers
2. Jimmy John's Sandwiches
3. Tacos from Taco Bell or Chipotle
4. Fudgesicles
5. Fried Shrimp w/a Baked Potato

Top Foods I Can't Even Think of Without Getting Sick
1. Chinese Food!
2. Salads
3. Anything Fried (except shrimp of course)
4. Meatloaf (and other large pieces of meat)
5. Honestly, pretty much anything homemade

So here are my top 5 foods for everyone to enjoy. I hope that the top list will expand soon and the bottom list will eventually go away. But for now, this is where I stand. I have also found it strange that I need to eat peppermint gum all day long... not sure why but the taste seems to help some. Well, I guess it's time to go try to figure out something that I can stand for dinner. I already had #2 and #3 from my list today so I will have to find something else to eat. Wish me luck...

"It hasn't hit me yet"

2007-09-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

Did he really say that??? He sure did! Somehow, through all of my nights of being sick, all of the changes I have undergone, and even seeing our baby in motion my crazy husband actually said that it still hasn't hit him yet! This doesn't make me mad at all. In fact I couldn't help but burst out in laughter at his comment. It just goes to show that what everyone says really is right. Women feel the pregnancy much faster than men do. I have been sick for what feels like years and nothing in my closet fits me anymore. In fact I actually went clothes shopping this weekend and bought lots of maternity clothes because I was realizing that my "normal" clothes either bunch or gape or just plain stretch in ways they weren't designed to! I feel so much better now that I have pants made with elastic waist bands and shirts that I could fit a beach ball under. No more pre-pregnancy stomach scrunching jeans for me! I have moved on to bigger (not sure about better) things! :)

I am thinking that this little guy in my stomach might actually not be a guy at all. I have noticed that I am not getting a ball in front like some women but I feel like I am just spreading like those mirrors you stand in front of on Navy Pier where you are short and ball-like. Ok, ok I am exaggerating but still I am feeling like if these old wives' tales are true I will have a little girlie girl popping out of me in about 6 months!

I can't believe how fast the time is going. It seems like I just found out yesterday and in reality I have known for about 2 months now! Crazy! And still 2 months later it still hasn't hit Troy yet! Hahaha it just makes me laugh every time I think of him saying that.

Please feel free to leave me messages or questions or even stories of your own in the comments. It's easy and fun and makes the blog even more fun for me! If you have any good blog topics let me know. I'm not sure if this is totally boring to read or not so if it isn't, then enjoy! And if it is, give me some good ideas :)

Ultrasound Day!

2007-08-31T18:18:00.001-07:00

Here are some cute pictures of our little baby! You can see his/her head and body and even an arm! It was so exciting to see what is living inside of me! Crazy. Just to let you know, even though the baby looks like a baby it is only 1 inch long! The black stuff around it is all amniotic fluid. The whole thing together is about the size of a grapefruit. Now aren't you impressed with how baby-like it looks?! :)

Here is a picture of me the day that we found out the big news. This is the third of four tests I ended up taking that day... I wasn't gonna be wrong about this one!

Hi Everyone!

2007-08-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

I finally got my stuff together and started a blog to share our pregnancy with everyone! In case you didn't already know Troy and I are going to have a BABY!!! We found out in late July and as of today I am 10 weeks along (I think) but we will know better tomorrow because we are having our first ultrasound. We are having all of our prenatal care and our delivery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital downtown Chicago. This is our first baby and can't wait to see our new addition! I have decided to do this blog because so many people that we care about are all around the country and don't get to see all of the fun (and not so fun) parts of the next 7 months or so. So far it has been pretty crazy and I am thinking it's only going to get crazier.

Troy is working at Bang and Olufsen doing sales and he is doing awesome. I am so proud of him :) He is being a great provider and I know he will be a wonderful dad. Not only is he good at his job but he goes above and beyond what I could ever imagine at home. These last 5 weeks or so have been pretty interesting with all of the changes this pregnancy has had on my body. I have had morning sickness for over a month now and am a vetran at worshiping the "porcelain god." Don't worry - I will spare the details! But Troy has been so understanding and I know that I won't get to say this to people in person so I just want to share my greatfulness in this blog. I don't know what I would have done without him.

Besides the morning (and afternoon, and night, and ... you get the picture) sickness I haven't had too many bad things happening to me. I have had some physical changes (haha you might notice if you know me well) and most of all I have been really tired. This is unusual for me because I have always been an early riser (yeah right) and now I sleep for at least 9 hours a night if not more! I do enjoy sleeping though so I won't complain about that part. (Maybe now I just have an excuse for all of my sleeping)

For some reason I can't think of what else to say right now but I will probably think of more and update later tonight. I will put up pictures and videos soon too so you can do more than just read what I have to say. Feel free to leave comments. In fact, PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS! I would love to hear from everyone!

Take care and check back soon!
Love,
Kristin (and Troy) (and baby!)