M.I.A.

..would be the best way to describe me these days..

Where do I start?? I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. Ours was wonderful! I took three Englishmen home with me, cooked for 2 days, ate for the rest, and spent a few hours in the ER. That pretty much sums up my holiday!

I'll explain.. We took 2 friends home with us for Turkey Day, both on the soccer team and great guys to be around - one from Liverpool and one from Norwich - we all had a really good time spending most of it in front of my moms TV which is massive and extremely adored by the boys.. Mark was just complaining the other day about how watching TV just isn't the same on their 30-something inch perfectly fine television. I spent most of my time cooking with mom while they stayed downstairs glued to the big screen playing video games on Playstation or Wii. And they, as a whole, drank more than I ever have in my life.. what? it could be true..

I ate so much on thanksgiving that i actually got to see it all over again.. in the toilet (valuable information, I know. You're welcome.). The next day we went shopping and found some really great winter maternity clothes that I could wear while in England (LEAVING IN EXACTLY ONE WEEK!!) but I was feeling terrible the entire day having weird episodes of stomach cramps and lower back pain.. yes I eventually freaked out. By the way, did anyone else hear about the Wal-Mart employee in NY who actually got trampled to death when he opened the doors to the Black Friday customers??? What is wrong with people? His family is suing Wal-Mart for their lack of security and for causing pandemonium with their advertisements.. they're also suing the NYPD and other stores that share the strip mall with Wal-Mart.. Why don't they look at the security cameras.. Wouldn't you realize you're WALKING on someone?? Please keep that family in your prayers..

By the time we got home at 6, my pains were coming even closer together. Once I hit the 15 min mark I called the on call doctor who told me to go straight to the hospital. Turns out, I WAS really dehydrated which can release a hormone that causes pains like contractions (notice the "WAS".. I drank my weight in liquid and made best friends with the toilet seat). On top of these wonderful stomach cramps that felt like the amazing monthly cramps x10, I had this severe lower back pain that kept me up all night and eventually in my moms bed in tears.. I know for sure I have kidney stones. I had an ultra sound at the hospital yesterday on both kidneys and my bladder (with a little glimpse of baby!) and they ruled it wasn't an obstruction.. thank God!.. The pains have gotten better and all that's left is a dull back ache which restricts me from laying in any other position other than my left side.. BLAH!

Okay I'm done complaining/venting/reliving.. this post was anything but upbeat.. hope I didn't bring anyone down!

On a more pleasant note.. Saturday marks week #27, just one week shy of the 7th month.. can't wait for her to get here. Gerard broke the news to me yesterday that his cousin has a daughter named Lily.. they don't have a close relationship and he hasn't seen him in 9 years but they're friends on facebook (I said who cares!) and I actually cried over the fact that he was hinting Lily wasn't a possibility anymore and I realized how much I wanted it.. I say oh well, I'm keepin that name!!

Since we're leaving next thursday right after (FIVE!) final exams, I probably won't get a chance to get on here again so I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!!

6 months already?!

I must be dreaming.. 6 months pregnant? You have to see this to believe it..






I swear it looks like I'm smuggling a basketball around.. The baby is the size of a large melon now and weighs over a pound (which is nice to blame one of those 20 extra pounds on her). And I'd say out of all the amazing new developments this month, my favorite by far is seeing my belly move up and down when she kicks and turns.. She is kicking so hard I get nauseated at times but I never want it to end.. I will admit to changing positions while lying down just to throw her off balance so I can feel her squirm, I can't help it. Gerard is away at their conference championship at Myrtle Beach and I miss him terribly BUT my mom and I get a chance to shop around for a crib which I'm really excited about. Only 4 more weeks until this semester is finally over and we head off to England.. but for now, I'm off to bed to lay around and poke my uterus in hopes of retaliation!

Another week gone by...

It's halfway through week 21 and I'm finally feeling that period where exhaustion is (mostly) over and I feel the energy to work out! I've been doing some preggo yoga, which is really hard.. Here are some new and exciting things I learned about little girl!

• White blood cells are forming, creating her immune system to protect her from diseases and viruses.
  
• No more see-through baby! The skin is beginning to change from transparent to an opaque color.
• Her little tongue is fully formed! All 5 senses have developed and she can taste what I'm eating. (Sorry little girl for all the sour lemonade and chocolate.. yummy combo)
• HER womb has formed.
• She is swallowing more to give her digestive system some practice and to start forming meconium in the bowels for that lovely first diaper.
• Her awake and sleep patterns are becoming more consistent. She is actually paying attention the changes in light and dark and when I'm asleep or awake!
• Her length is now measured from head to toe since she does a lot of stretching out now. She measures around 11 inches and weighs around 13 ounces, the size of a large banana or carrot!

Not only is she still kicking up a storm, baby girl is also doing a number on my skin.. I didn't even break out this much in high school. And using acne medications is a no no, so whats a girl to do? I also feel like I'm missing out on this wonderful occurrence during pregnancy where your hair never looks better.. Mine is dry and seems to be getting thinner..

I'll post a belly picture in my 22nd week, I'm already getting large.. my 5th month is almost over! Today is just one day closer to getting to touch her and hold her.. we can't wait.

She's gunna be a soccer player..

Little baby girl.. once you start kicking you just don't stop!

This has to be the most active little thing EVER! Last night, during my usual nightly wake ups to rush to the bathroom before I wet myself, she was kicking up a storm! Every time I tried to go back to sleep she was moving and turning and throwing some punches (or kicks, can't really tell the difference with a 7in baby) and as much as I love feeling her moving around I started getting pretty frustrated. I woke Gerard up like usual when I was trying to get comfortable.. left side with the body pillow in between my legs and under my belly? No... Right side? No... back? Not too good for little one.. Stomach? I wish.

Gerard finally started feeling her movements once he learned to stop expecting a Mike Tyson blow from my belly, and I'm so happy he is feeling more connected with her. He always kept saying how jealous he was that he couldn't experience this pregnancy the same way as me... well Gerard if I could switch places with you I think you would be singin a different tune..

ANYWAYS, off the topic of every woman's dream come true (I mean can't they at least experience our monthly gift.. just ONCE?! No? Okay, moving on..)
I made a realization that I could take a picture of my ultrasound scan with my cell phone and then e-mail it to myself so that I could post it on here, so I chose the best one.. well I chose the only one that was of her body and not just limbs (We didn't care too much for our miss know-it-all technician..)

Miss long legs

Unfortunately I had a hard time getting a good shot that did not include the shadow of my head on top, but it was hopeless.
We still haven't decided on a name yet.. For now I'm going to call her Mia Hamm, baby long legs, Muhammad Ali, you get the idea..

Speaking of Muhammad Ali, I probably said the most embarrassing thing in my life while Gerard and I were watching a program on sports center about the top 50 most memorable events in sports (or something like that). He actually ended up calling his dad alllll the way in England to repeat what I had said..

So the show gets to the event of Muhammad Ali lighting the torch at the Olympics, right? So I'm sitting there and watching him struggle to light it, and I notice he's shaking a lot.. So I SAY:
"Awe, he looks SO nervous!!"
Gerard looks at me with this face.. like "Really Kristin?? Are you being serious?"

Yeah it looked exactly like that..

How was I supposed to know he has Parkinson's Disease!! I don't think I've ever made so many people laugh at me in just one week.. Of course Gerard would have flown a plane over the city with my quote printed on a banner flying in the wind if he could. Now his dad thinks I'm HILARIOUS and I was just being really naive and attempting empathy.. I mean I would be REALLY nervous if I had to stand in front of the entire world and light the Olympic torch.. PLUS in my added defense.. it looked like he was standing really high up (Scary, right!?) So now his dad is going to expect me to be cracking all these jokes and in reality I'll be sitting there with my arms folded in my lap saying my "please" and "thank yous"..
Jessica Simpson has more intelligent things to say.. Can I blame stupidity on pregnancy as well?? :)

belly shot!

TWENTY WEEK BUMP! And my belly button is about to pop out! Gerard doesn't tire of asking, "will it go "POP" when it happens?" I think I'll have two children on my hands soon..

20 DOWN, 19 TO GO!

I can't even begin to believe I'm in my 20th week of pregnancy and it's halfway over! In 19 weeks, I'll be getting induced and this little angel will be here.. I have a BAD case of baby fever and it's getting worse with every passing week. According to this web page I found on pregnancy.org, here are some new developments for week twenty..

• The babys heart is growing stronger. I should now be able to differentiate her heartbeat from mine if I lay still in a quiet place. (The other night I was watching TV flat on my back and could feel her fast heartbeat in my lower back! I guess she had turned on her stomach to get comfortable!)
• Her legs are reaching their relative size. I should start feeling more than fluttery movements. (Yesterday at her ultrasound she had the hiccups and I could feel each one! I can also feel her kicking and punching, poor Gerry, he is getting frustrated when he misses it)
• This one is so cool: Immunities are being transferred from me to the baby so that she will be protected from any virus I HAVE ALREADY HAD for the first 6 months of her life!
• The nerve cells for taste, smell, hearing, seeing, and touch are now developing in specialized areas of the brain. Production slows down as existing nerve cells grow larger and more complex.
• The baby may startle at loud noises as she can hear sounds outside of the womb. Calming noises she hears during pregnancy will be calming to her after birth.
• Her uterus is starting to develop and she has 6 MILLION eggs in her ovaries! Only 1 million will remain after birth.
  
• And according to the site, she should weigh around 10 ounces and measure somewhere around 7 inches from head to rump! Yet the ultrasound confirmed she weighed in around 12 ounces, only 4 ounces shy of a pound! my little overachiever..

We also got a few new pictures but since Gerard has my printer at the moment, I'll have to scan them later. The technician did a 3D ultrasound for a minute or two and I could kind of see whose features she got. We couldn't make out much of her face because she was hiding behind her hands, but when we did catch a glimpse, she looked more like a little alien.. one with big lips on a big head.. so I'm going to say she looks more like her daddy.. ;)

I have been playing some classical music for her, literally holding the headphones to my stomach.. Lately she kicks the most to Chopin and Bach (She also likes Jason Mraz- I'm Yours, and Kate Nash-Pumpkin Soup, check them out on my playlist); I want her to be as bright as possible.. which got me thinking about the aspirations Gerry and I have for her as she grows up.

1. She MUST play soccer (Gerard's wish, obviously)
   
2. She has to try ballet (Mine)
3. She must try lessons in music, preferably one from the orchestra
4. She can try any sport she wants (As long as it doesn't interfere with soccer season - Gerard)

Shamefully, that's really as far as we've gotten.. We're getting ahead of ourselves I know. Gerard just keeps looking forward to attending her games and I personally can't wait to see what sort of personality she develops. Gerard was a trouble maker, and I was a shy manipulator (a true girl) and I'm sure I deserve to have one JUST like me.. pray for me..

Five months down, only four more to go!!

The most eventful Fall Break

FINALLY! My midterms are over with and I actually feel good about the grades I made.. Gerard and I bought scrabble on our cell phones and we play each other.. daily.. and I know this sounds stupid, but I think it's made me smarter! Maybe my brain is just working harder than usual.. that's probably not a good thing to admit! So we had NO class till today, it was a nice break. Obviously I did nothing.. because I have nothing to report. I went to Gerard's soccer game and he played really well! They won 2-1, I wanted to take pictures but my camera is dead. So instead.. I took random pictures with my cell phone of my dog... aka the current baby of the house..

Poppy-Dog

So after THAT eventful weekend, Gerard was kind enough to head to Charlotte with me so that I could take care of a few errands and see my mom. First I had to go get my passport renewed since we are leaving for ENGLAND in 2 months! I can't wait! We're also going to IRELAND for a christening of his friends baby girl.. I can't even begin to tell you how badly my mom and I have been wanting to go to Ireland, I really wish she could come with us!! It actually didn't take too long in the post office, Gerry and I played scrabble against each other while we waited of course (he won..hmph) and then headed off to the most exciting place in the world!.. The dentist. He waited patiently while I had my teeth cleaned and my gum's STILL hurt from that.. darn pregnancy gingivitis.. After eating dinner with my mom and collecting a few things from her house (THANK YOU SO MUCH TO HOLLIE FOR THAT ADORABLE DIAPER BAG and that little plastic bag dispenser seems like it will definitely be coming in handy, AND the place mat!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!) we headed back to Boiling Springs and I immediately went to bed. Now Gerard is away at a soccer game so I decided to catch up on here since I am officially addicted to blogging. Want to see what I SHOULD be doing??






Doing Gerry's STINKY soccer laundry??














Cleaning, maybe??










Or watching drama and filth on Maury??... DING! DING! DING!









Hope everyone has a great afternoon! :)

Miss Diva

Here are the ultrasound pictures I just uploaded when I should be studying for my midterms.. but what can I say?

This is my favorite picture, it turned out the best. You can see her brain, spinal cord, and ribs.

A clear shot of her hoo-ha.
(she's gunna hate me for this later)

I LOVE this picture.. at the bottom left you can see her little belly, and then of course her legs crossed at the ankles and a shot of those little toes!

This was good shot of her spine and ribs, and that little arm! She kept rolling around so we couldn't get a clear shot of her face

A little foot!

She took her arm out from behind her head for a minute to wave!

And the heartbeat, at a whoppin 143 beats per
minute!

Ever since the ultrasound Gerard and I have been closer than ever.. he talks to her when we're laying around and kisses my belly and rubs it as though she's already laying there with us. Last night we went to a friends house for a few hours since the guys had the day off from soccer training and he couldn't stop talking about how amazing the ultrasound was and how it was the most life changing thing he would ever experience next to the baby's birth.. How sweet is that..? He started tearing up when he was describing all the things he couldn't wait to do with her, and then laughed when he decided he'd be the "cool dad" and I would get to play disciplinarian. CAN'T WAIT! :)

The beginning..

Here are a few pictures of Gerry and I : Pre-babymamadrama

Hates this picture because I made him smile..

Gerard and his current roommate Jordan

On my birthday.. The ultrasound photos clearly show the baby got Gerard's BIG head.. poor thing.. no wait, poor me!

NEXT are the ultrasound photos that shows miss diva2B laying on her back with her legs crossed at the ankles and one arm behind her head.. just chillin in there!

Long story, with a happy ending..

So here is Gerard (pronounced Jared, for all you non-irish) and I sitting anxiously awaiting a routine doctors appointment. Wait.. Let me start from the beginning.

NO ONE told me just HOW emotional you can get during pregnancy. I knew about the mood swings, the hormone fluctuation, etc, but no one told me about the overwhelming urge to either reach over and whack a rude receptionist or uncontrollably hyperventilate in a parking lot..

I had my 18 wk ultrasound scheduled for yesterday at 1:30 in the next town over. Someone at my doctor's office told me to go to the hospital for it. Long story short, I was "over 15 minutes late" for the ultrasound at the real location, and all of my anticipation and excitement quickly went out the window when I was told I'd have to wait another TWO WEEKS to find out what I was having. I was overly upset. I couldn't handle counting down the days in my calender AGAIN.. I had even started counting hours.. silly, I know. I know that if I hadn't of been pregnant I would have just been worn down from all the running around but never upset to the point where I couldn't breathe.. what a mess. It took Gerard 15 minutes behind closed doors to calm me down and convince me that the baby was alright and that we didn't need to see to know the sex because it was definitely a boy (ha, don't think so....). Luckily, the sweetest doctor in the world, stayed over 30 minutes after closing to do a quick ultrasound to tell me I was having a GIRL!!! So there we are waiting in the doctor's office for my 2nd scheduled appointment of the day.. and my mom kept on clicking away with pictures...

Showing off the 18 wk and 3 days bump...

Gerard with his lovely mullet, touching his soon to be little girl...

My amazing doctor...

This is of course only 3/24 of the pictures she snapped. We didn't make it home till after 6:30.. that was such a long day. I still have to go to my scheduled ultrasound in two weeks however so they can measure the brain and all that.. watch them tell me it's a boy after all..