I cannot believe I am 18 weeks, almost 19! The holidays have come and now here we are [almost] in the New Year. The year that Baby Koehn will be born! Ahhh!
I have been feeling pretty great the last few weeks. I actually have some energy now to get back to an almost-normal schedule. I thought this would never happen. I am able to eat normally again (sans red meat in any proportion) and am back to a pretty good exercise regimen. One complaint I do have is that I can't do the workouts I was doing before. My dr said I could continue whatever I was doing pre-pregnancy, however I am not allowed to get my heart rate above 140. What??? My heart rate gets to 140 while walking at 3.4 mph with a 1% incline! Ughh. So I have kept my workouts to minimum of walking/elipitcal/yoga with some very mild resistance exercises. I can't wait to resume my running and Fusion Fitness workouts post-baby. Staying thin and exercising intensely truly makes me a happier person. I know, I'm weird. I have to reassure myself on a daily basis that I will eventually get my body back...at least most of it : )
We had a wonderful Christmas at home with our families and got some really great stuff. I was glad that baby stuff was kept to a minimum, only because it reminds me that we are still just two people. Alex and I are determined to welcome this baby with open arms, but try and not be those parents who get too obsessed with their children. We very much value our marriage and the time we spend together. I will love this baby unconditionally without forgetting my dear husband and the life we have together.
Here are my latest cravings/feelings:
- Feelings that this pregnancy is REAL. There really is a little Koehn in there.
-Small, fluttery feelings in my upper belly. It's still hard to tell if it's the baby or just little gas bubbles. They tell me it's probably baby : )
-An increase in appetite. I didn't think I could eat more than I was before! My stomach is a bottomless pit. Scary.
-A lot of anxiety about weight gain and not looking like my old, skinny, self. It's getting better, I just have to keep reassuring myself that it's ok.
-A lot of thoughts about the day to day responsibilities of having a baby. I am surprisingly not as nervous as I thought I would be about it.
I think that's all I've got for now. Happy New Year, everyone!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Week 16
This post has been a draft in progress for about a week now....guess I need to post it and move on : ) Just in time for the 17 week post!
Hmmm....well apparently I missed a week...or so. Time seems to flying by recently! We had our 4 month appointment this week and things seem to going well. We find out in a few short weeks if we are having a boy or a girl! Can you believe that? It's amazing to me that that baby just keeps on growing! Things to note for this week:
-Baby's heart rate is 150. Girl or boy? Guess away.
-I've gained 10 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy. O.M.G. Does this freak me out a little? Yes. Maybe more than a little.
-My belly is now showing through even my baggiest scrubs. It's no secret anymore!
-Favorite foods: Pita chips and roasted red pepper hummus, cheese, Wheat Thins and dried fruit (cherries, bananas, and fruit leather seem to sound most appealing). I'll eat anything salty. Pickles, chips, cheese dip, bologna.....yes, you heard me. I went through a couple days where I HAD to have a bologna sandwich for lunch. Yuck, I know. I'm especially hungry right after work. I'm starving right when I get home! Also, the last few days I've been craving Chai Latte's and lots of lemon slices in my water.
-Least favorite foods: Steak or any slab of red meat as well as sweet potatoes in any form (this has been since the beginning of my pregnancy.)
Alex and I have been having lots of discussions about what we want our "parenting style" to be like, as well as our discipline strategies, support for each other, etc etc etc. So far he has been really great about being open to this new addition to the family, with only one big disagreement so far. I think our ongoing struggle will always be about how much Alex works. He IS a workaholic. So this is still in debate as to how we will attack this.
I've talked to Alex for several weeks now about starting to take pictures of my belly and we never can seem to remember. So tonight after my quick yoga workout, I finally snapped a really terrible picture with my phone, but at least that's a start. Here it is:
Hmm, what else. I think that's good for this week. More to come next week!
Hmmm....well apparently I missed a week...or so. Time seems to flying by recently! We had our 4 month appointment this week and things seem to going well. We find out in a few short weeks if we are having a boy or a girl! Can you believe that? It's amazing to me that that baby just keeps on growing! Things to note for this week:
-Baby's heart rate is 150. Girl or boy? Guess away.
-I've gained 10 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy. O.M.G. Does this freak me out a little? Yes. Maybe more than a little.
-My belly is now showing through even my baggiest scrubs. It's no secret anymore!
-Favorite foods: Pita chips and roasted red pepper hummus, cheese, Wheat Thins and dried fruit (cherries, bananas, and fruit leather seem to sound most appealing). I'll eat anything salty. Pickles, chips, cheese dip, bologna.....yes, you heard me. I went through a couple days where I HAD to have a bologna sandwich for lunch. Yuck, I know. I'm especially hungry right after work. I'm starving right when I get home! Also, the last few days I've been craving Chai Latte's and lots of lemon slices in my water.
-Least favorite foods: Steak or any slab of red meat as well as sweet potatoes in any form (this has been since the beginning of my pregnancy.)
Alex and I have been having lots of discussions about what we want our "parenting style" to be like, as well as our discipline strategies, support for each other, etc etc etc. So far he has been really great about being open to this new addition to the family, with only one big disagreement so far. I think our ongoing struggle will always be about how much Alex works. He IS a workaholic. So this is still in debate as to how we will attack this.
I've talked to Alex for several weeks now about starting to take pictures of my belly and we never can seem to remember. So tonight after my quick yoga workout, I finally snapped a really terrible picture with my phone, but at least that's a start. Here it is:
Hmm, what else. I think that's good for this week. More to come next week!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Week 13...and a half
Hi everyone! This week has been a grueling one, as Alex started off with a cold and has successfully passed it on to me. Ugh. Thankfully, it has stayed pretty contained in my head and sinuses. I have been taking lots of supplements and fighting this virus with tooth and nail! My Thanksgiving will NOT be ruined! Speaking of Thanksgiving, I cannot wait to get home to the family. Unfortunately, we will spend Thanksgiving day here in KC and then as soon as Alex can get off on Friday we will head to McPherson. Needless to say, I am so ready to spend some Quality Time with the family. We are so lucky to have [almost] all of our family in the same town. If we could just get the extended Fast family and Alex's brother Aaron closer to McPherson, we'd be in business : )
In other news, I am almost through Week 13. Nothing real exciting this week, but I am still constantly seeing changes. Here are the things I've noticed:
In other news, I am almost through Week 13. Nothing real exciting this week, but I am still constantly seeing changes. Here are the things I've noticed:
- My belly getting bigger and bigger, by the minute it seems. No twins though, as this was a question I had for Dr. Carter this week. Whew! (Alex and I both come from a lineage of twins...ugh, can you imagine?)
- My energy is slowly coming back, but still not back to what I felt pre-pregnancy. I have been walking a tad more and getting a little bit more done at home, but not much.
- More people asking me about my belly and asking about names, gender, due date, etc etc. I must say, it's a lot more fun when you can talk to friends about what you're going through. Plus, it makes it a little more "real."
- I cannot stop craving junk food. It is all I can do to "do the right thing" and eat my fruits and veggies. All I want are Ched'r Peppers from Sonic! Ahhhh!!!
- I went maternity clothes shopping this past weekend with my friend Danielle, who is now 19 weeks pregnant. She is barely showing and is just now deciding to buy some stretchy outfits for the future. I, on the other hand, can no longer wear normal shirts/pants without it looking like my clothes are entirely too small. I was also given a whole box full of clothes from my boss' wife, who is about the same size as me. I hit the jackpot! And just in time for Thanksgiving, too : )
Alex has been so wonderful through this whole process so far. I feel so terrible for him sometimes because I am just SO tired all the time and he picks up so much of the slack. Our house has been a mess and without his help, we would probably live in a pigsty and have nothing clean to wear. He made a trip to Trader Joes earlier this week and came home with a bottle of sparkling italian soda and a beautiful red rose, just for me : ) (However, I think he was partially trying to make up for the fact that he had come home with a month's stash of Two Buck Chuck. ha)
Well it is wayyy past my bedtime. I think I better hit the hay so I have enough energy to cook our mini-Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! Cheers!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Week 12
Hi everyone, I know it's been AGES since I've written. But I figure maybe this way would be a good way to keep everyone up to date on how our Small Fry, aka, Baby Koehn, is a-cookin'. So, without further adieu, here, in bullet-point format, is how my pregnancy has been going. In a nutshell.
Leading up to this week, here are a few of the symptoms I have been experiencing:
Leading up to this week, here are a few of the symptoms I have been experiencing:
- Starting in week 7, I had severe dizziness/fainting. Yes, I said fainting. Nothing a little hydration through an IV couldn't fix!
- A HUGE increase in appetite. Those books that say you should only eat an extra 300 calories/day (approx 1 bagel, without cream cheese) has clearly never been pregnant.
- Nausea off and on, but has mostly subsided
- Constantly needing to pee.
- Constipation. Severe. Eww.
- Occasional migraines-oh the agony! So miserable when you can't take a single thing. Sometimes a few sips of coffee seem to do the trick.
- Decrease in motivation/ability to work out. I am SO unbelievably tired that taking myself for a walk around the block is nearly impossible. Pretty crazy for me, considering I was working out pretty intensely, 5 days a week, before this "alien" has taken over my body. Hopefully in the second trimester I will gain some energy back to start up a workout regimen again.
- A growing belly. NO JOKE. My belly seems as though it's growing by the minute. No pictures yet, because I'm frankly not quite ready to accept that it's ok to get "fat." (This is a whole issue in itself, one to be discussed in another post.) I never realized that this would be such an issue for me! (Well, maybe I did.)
- No cravings, per se, just a beastly appetite for LOTS of food. One thing that I have NOT wanted since the minute I found outI was pregnant is beef. Not steak, not barbecue, no slab of beef in any form. I can barely choke down beef tacos. However-chicken is a whole different story! Give me chicken in any form-baked, fried, in quesadillas, enchiladas, on pizza. Wherever I can get it! Weird, because I've NEVER been a huge fan of chicken. Hmm.
- Foods that I have wanted in my diet recently: yellow squash, eggplant, apples (granny smith or honey crisp) with grandma's caramel apple dip, lots of CHEESE! (hmm, constipation cause???) and wheat thins. And to be real honest, I would eat hamburgers and pizza every night if I could. I have never in my life allowed myself to do that, but this pregnancy has really opened up my abilities to eat junk food whenever offered! (Let's just say Halloween was areally difficult holiday to get through.) Next up: THANKSGIVING! Yessss. A pregnant woman's dream!
- (I really miss lunch meat. I used to eat it all the time for a quick piece of protein.)
- Horrible constipation. This is an ongoing issue. We'll leave it that.
- Indigestion. This is an issue that my NAET dr and I are working on. Gotta get that liver motivated again!
- I've been super super tired, but just the last few days have seemed to pep up *ever so slightly.* I'm hoping that this is a good sign!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Update
Oh my, how time has flown since my last post! And I seem to remember promising to post more often ; )
Since Christmas, our (i.e. my) main focus has been wedding, wedding, wedding. I feel like there is so much to do and time keeps going faster and faster. Alex reminds me every so often that majority of the wedding is planned, which it really is. But at this point it's all about the details. Wedding/reception/rehearsal dinner decorations, wedding favors, centerpieces, flower bouquets and corsages, jewelry, hair...and the list goes on! I am trying to cherish these wedding planning days while they last, but I'm also very much looking forward to our honeymoon. We booked a week-long vacation at the Dreams Riviera Cancun, which is located just south of Cancun, Mexico. It is an all-inclusive resort with lots of day activities and most importantly, a great beach. We are also looking into getting certified to Scuba Dive before we go, that way we can go out for a day and dive somewhere nearby. So exciting! Sadly, I think this will be our only big trip for awhile, so I say milk it for all it's worth!
Our latest endeavor with the house has been the second bedroom. Alex's parents came up this past weekend and helped with scraping the first layer of wallpaper/paint off the wall. It's turning out to be just as tough as the last room, so we were extremely thankful to have an extra set of hands scraping! I will post pictures sometime of our progress, but let's just say it looks an awful lot like the other bedroom-1940's wallpaper and all! I'm really hoping we can buckle down and finish this project so that we can move on to our next one, which will hopefully be the kitchen. The kitchen will be a HUGE project, but so worth it. Such a bittersweet excitement.
As for Alex and I, we are doing fine. Alex is still trucking along (pun intended) at his job at MHC Kenworth, which I will remind you is a heavy trucking dealership. Again, he is an Inventory Control Manager and keeps track of every single part that comes into the company, and every part that goes out. He absolutely loves the people he works with, but is a trade off because he works extremely long hours with minimal vacation time. He is, though, getting to the point of being a pretty well respected member of team because of his knowledge and experience, so we're hoping that someday that pays off for him :D So at this point I think he'll stick with what he's doing and hope someday its gets better in one way or another.
I, on the other hand, have made a change, and for the better I might add! I am working in a different unit of the hospital called Post Anesthesia Care Unit, or PACU. It is the place where people go immediately after surgery to "recover," as we in the biz like to call it. Basically, my job is to make sure the patient's pain is at a quote unquote tolerable level, and to make sure they are stable enough to move to another area, whether it be the med-surg floor (such as East 7, my old unit) or go home. This area is considered critical care since we deal with fresh wounds, heavy anesthesia, and complicated illnesses. I have always had an interest in critical care and think that this area is a perfect mix of an ICU and surgery. So far, the people I work with are incredibly supportive and have been helpful whenever I have had questions, which makes ANYONE's job much funner : ) And actually, I just finished my orientation this last week, so I am on my own, again, feeling like a brand new nurse! Oh, and the hours. I went from working 6:45am to 7:15pm (or much later, as on most days) 3 days a week, including weekends and holidays, to now working 4 days a week Monday thru Friday, 10:00-7:30. I do take a decent amount of call, (which I experienced for the first time this past Saturday night) but get paid graciously for it if I do come in, which makes a little more tolerable ; ) So all in all, it has so far been a great move for me. I am learning so much every day and am loving being able to have more regular personal life.
Well, I think that is enough for today. I'll try to keep ya posted on the progress of our other bedroom. Toodles!
Emily
Since Christmas, our (i.e. my) main focus has been wedding, wedding, wedding. I feel like there is so much to do and time keeps going faster and faster. Alex reminds me every so often that majority of the wedding is planned, which it really is. But at this point it's all about the details. Wedding/reception/rehearsal dinner decorations, wedding favors, centerpieces, flower bouquets and corsages, jewelry, hair...and the list goes on! I am trying to cherish these wedding planning days while they last, but I'm also very much looking forward to our honeymoon. We booked a week-long vacation at the Dreams Riviera Cancun, which is located just south of Cancun, Mexico. It is an all-inclusive resort with lots of day activities and most importantly, a great beach. We are also looking into getting certified to Scuba Dive before we go, that way we can go out for a day and dive somewhere nearby. So exciting! Sadly, I think this will be our only big trip for awhile, so I say milk it for all it's worth!
Our latest endeavor with the house has been the second bedroom. Alex's parents came up this past weekend and helped with scraping the first layer of wallpaper/paint off the wall. It's turning out to be just as tough as the last room, so we were extremely thankful to have an extra set of hands scraping! I will post pictures sometime of our progress, but let's just say it looks an awful lot like the other bedroom-1940's wallpaper and all! I'm really hoping we can buckle down and finish this project so that we can move on to our next one, which will hopefully be the kitchen. The kitchen will be a HUGE project, but so worth it. Such a bittersweet excitement.
As for Alex and I, we are doing fine. Alex is still trucking along (pun intended) at his job at MHC Kenworth, which I will remind you is a heavy trucking dealership. Again, he is an Inventory Control Manager and keeps track of every single part that comes into the company, and every part that goes out. He absolutely loves the people he works with, but is a trade off because he works extremely long hours with minimal vacation time. He is, though, getting to the point of being a pretty well respected member of team because of his knowledge and experience, so we're hoping that someday that pays off for him :D So at this point I think he'll stick with what he's doing and hope someday its gets better in one way or another.
I, on the other hand, have made a change, and for the better I might add! I am working in a different unit of the hospital called Post Anesthesia Care Unit, or PACU. It is the place where people go immediately after surgery to "recover," as we in the biz like to call it. Basically, my job is to make sure the patient's pain is at a quote unquote tolerable level, and to make sure they are stable enough to move to another area, whether it be the med-surg floor (such as East 7, my old unit) or go home. This area is considered critical care since we deal with fresh wounds, heavy anesthesia, and complicated illnesses. I have always had an interest in critical care and think that this area is a perfect mix of an ICU and surgery. So far, the people I work with are incredibly supportive and have been helpful whenever I have had questions, which makes ANYONE's job much funner : ) And actually, I just finished my orientation this last week, so I am on my own, again, feeling like a brand new nurse! Oh, and the hours. I went from working 6:45am to 7:15pm (or much later, as on most days) 3 days a week, including weekends and holidays, to now working 4 days a week Monday thru Friday, 10:00-7:30. I do take a decent amount of call, (which I experienced for the first time this past Saturday night) but get paid graciously for it if I do come in, which makes a little more tolerable ; ) So all in all, it has so far been a great move for me. I am learning so much every day and am loving being able to have more regular personal life.
Well, I think that is enough for today. I'll try to keep ya posted on the progress of our other bedroom. Toodles!
Emily
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Pictures!
Pictures are now online folks! Just go to: http://www.pictage.com/760758
Feel free to make a folder of your favorites! I have yet to make mine, but I will! We are using one of these for our "Save the Dates" so let me know if you have any suggestions.
Mom and Dad left today; they were up here for a quick getaway. We had a great dinner at Cinzetti's Friday night, a tour of where I work today, and my friend Katie showed us around her beautiful mansion. I'm tired and have to work the next 3 days, but it's worth it to be home for Thanksgiving in a few days.
Enjoy the pics!
Feel free to make a folder of your favorites! I have yet to make mine, but I will! We are using one of these for our "Save the Dates" so let me know if you have any suggestions.
Mom and Dad left today; they were up here for a quick getaway. We had a great dinner at Cinzetti's Friday night, a tour of where I work today, and my friend Katie showed us around her beautiful mansion. I'm tired and have to work the next 3 days, but it's worth it to be home for Thanksgiving in a few days.
Enjoy the pics!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Update!
We have been so busy for the month of October that although we've done so much, it feels like we haven't accomplished a thing around the house or for wedding planning.
I'll start with today, since I feel like I'm ready to drop dead with all my baking. Yes, I said baking. I started my day with an early morning (8:30am) Barre Intensity class. It was tiring, yet refreshing. I just love how those workouts make me feel-so extremely sore, but so empowering to know what your body can handle.
After my workout, I made a quick stop at the grocery store then went home. I ate a quick after-workout snack/breakfast, then into the kitchen I went! I made up, like, 4 dozen of Jana's famous Chocolate Chip Crunch cookies. About 2 hours later, I had finished baking/cooling/sampling all of the cookies and thought I should take them to Alex's work, mainly so I couldn't eat them all :) So then I showered and made the 30 minute trek up North, only to find Alex on the run and eating a HiBoy hamburger and some onion rings. Uggh. So basically I got to drop the cookies off, sit in a chair for about 20 minutes watching Alex scarf his lunch and return emails, and came home. Sweeet.
So now I'm home, have a sink full of dishes and not an ounce of energy to do them. Alex will be home late tonight so who really cares if I get them done in a timely manner, or if I even have a dinner tonight. Bahh.
One of our adventures over the last month was having our engagement pictures taken this last weekend by Dan and Brenda Kliewer. We went back to McPherson for this and had them taken out at "The Farm," just ?north? of McPherson. The farm is where Alex's dad, "Bags," grew up. It was old, rustic and the weather was absolutely perfect. There were tons of old cars and farm equipment, too, that we got to pose with. Brenda said she was maybe gonna have them ready for us on Sunday before we left, but no such luck. So she is planning on sending us a jump drive with all the pictures, copyrights and all. I am chomping at the bit to get them in the mail! I'm ready to see them and pick out our save the dates! I'll be sure and post some of them, but I think they will be also available to view online at some point. Keep an eye on Dan and Brenda's website for the pictures!
Ok, I'm exhausted. I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit. I really am gonna *try *to start keeping this thing more up to date! So check back more often!
I'll start with today, since I feel like I'm ready to drop dead with all my baking. Yes, I said baking. I started my day with an early morning (8:30am) Barre Intensity class. It was tiring, yet refreshing. I just love how those workouts make me feel-so extremely sore, but so empowering to know what your body can handle.
After my workout, I made a quick stop at the grocery store then went home. I ate a quick after-workout snack/breakfast, then into the kitchen I went! I made up, like, 4 dozen of Jana's famous Chocolate Chip Crunch cookies. About 2 hours later, I had finished baking/cooling/sampling all of the cookies and thought I should take them to Alex's work, mainly so I couldn't eat them all :) So then I showered and made the 30 minute trek up North, only to find Alex on the run and eating a HiBoy hamburger and some onion rings. Uggh. So basically I got to drop the cookies off, sit in a chair for about 20 minutes watching Alex scarf his lunch and return emails, and came home. Sweeet.
So now I'm home, have a sink full of dishes and not an ounce of energy to do them. Alex will be home late tonight so who really cares if I get them done in a timely manner, or if I even have a dinner tonight. Bahh.
One of our adventures over the last month was having our engagement pictures taken this last weekend by Dan and Brenda Kliewer. We went back to McPherson for this and had them taken out at "The Farm," just ?north? of McPherson. The farm is where Alex's dad, "Bags," grew up. It was old, rustic and the weather was absolutely perfect. There were tons of old cars and farm equipment, too, that we got to pose with. Brenda said she was maybe gonna have them ready for us on Sunday before we left, but no such luck. So she is planning on sending us a jump drive with all the pictures, copyrights and all. I am chomping at the bit to get them in the mail! I'm ready to see them and pick out our save the dates! I'll be sure and post some of them, but I think they will be also available to view online at some point. Keep an eye on Dan and Brenda's website for the pictures!
Ok, I'm exhausted. I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit. I really am gonna *try *to start keeping this thing more up to date! So check back more often!
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