*YAWN*

Sleeping is a new adventure. I just discovered this comfortable way to sleep with one of my legs extended straight down and the other pulled up towards my chest (it kind of rests on my belly). Well, lately, Kyle goes nuts whenever I get in this position on either side. He makes my whole belly move out in all directions, which of course means, I don't fall asleep anymore. Kevin put his hand under where my leg rests on my belly while I tried this position and said it's like Kyle is holding up the weight of my leg when I sleep like that. Good grief! I feel guilty now! So, if you want to feel Kyle kick, I know a sure fire way to make it happen, but of course I'm searching for new positions to sleep in again...ah well. The things you do for your kids ;).

Changing everyday...

Kyle must have had a growth spurt last night! I was so sore on both sides of my belly this morning.

The neatest thing that has been happening, I started to notice it when we were away for the wedding, is that Kyle responds to Kevin's voice. Kevin was at the bachelor party until after midnight, so Kyle and I had done our nighttime prayers and gone to bed. I was surprised because Kyle hadn't moved around the way he normally does when we go to bed. Well, as soon as Kevin came in and started talking Kyle was so active! This week, Kevin has been talking to Kyle through my belly and Kyle will kick back at him. It's the coolest thing! Not a very scientific approach to discovering Kyle knows his daddy's voice, but I'm convinced!

The other night I got to visit with Kirsten and Ellie! I can't believe Ellie is almost a month old...she is a lot bigger and so animated now! It's amazing to think that she'll be four months old when Kyle is born. I told her that she'll have to show him the ropes when he arrives!

And lastly, since we turned the cooler on during this recent heat wave, I have not wanted to turn it off! Even though it's getting cooler *sigh*.

My annoyances*

*Read at your own risk. This post is a little more graphic than my others.

So, I understand that there are some woman who just love being pregnant and embrace it with all it's challenges, but I am not one of them. Kyle and I have this little conversation every morning that, if he'd like to make an appearance closer to my birthday (Aug 17th), rather than on or past his due date (Aug 27th), that would be okay with me. Don't freak out, he's considered full term as of 38 weeks, so I'm not asking him to be a preemie or anything. Plus, the statistical odds of this actually happening are like zero, especially for a first time mom!

On to my annoyances. First, there are two things that happen during pregnancy, but only if you are genetically predisposed to them: stretch marks and varicose veins. Lovely. Oh yes, I am a member of both of these clubs, and have the opportunity to do body inspections everyday after my shower. See, as a pregnant woman, your skin gets really dry and itchy from all the stretching, so you slather it with lotion or oil all over after your shower. This is the perfect time to discover new skin atrocities. Technically speaking, I've been one of the lucky ones so far: my stretch marks are only places my husband will ever see them and I haven't found any varicose veins yet. Next, I have given up shaving, except for special events (say that wedding we just attended). Turns out my belly now presses against my thigh in the shower when I'm shaving in a most uncomfortable way and it's just not worth it. Not to mention the raised "waves" that run the length of our tub and make my feet hurt when I'm balancing to perform this womanly feat. And lastly (at least for today), I'm convinced that a baby's first toys are his mother's internal organs. Kyle has a couple days a week where I swear he is bored to pieces and just won't stop moving. This means every time he punches my bladder, I run to the bathroom and a timely kick to my lower rib cage leaves me breathless. The most interesting phenomenon, that never occurred to me, is what happens now that he is head down in my abdomen. See, the little guy uses his arms and hands a lot, and I believe they must be up in this little cheering position because whenever he gets excited it feels like I'm getting punched in the crotch...didn't see that one coming!

The worst thing that has happened this week though is that our community pool is closed for re surfacing. Tell me, why didn't they resurface the adult pool when they did the tot pool in March? They decided to wait until the hottest week of the year so far and the week that all the kids get out of school to shut the pool down. I swear, I think I cried last night when I found out it'll be closed until Saturday.

And yet, if that is the worst thing that is going on in my life right now...I am doing pretty darn good! Thank you for listening.

A few notes

The wedding was great, went better than I anticipated and I had a wonderful time. My favorite part was staying in the hotel and being out of the heat that was sweltering Phoenix and Tucson this weekend! I swam in the indoor pool everyday, went to a flea market, did some reading, and just relaxed. Kevin was super busy with groomsman duties, so we didn't see each other much, but I did get to hang out with my sister in law, Kristin, and give her current beau a hard time (it was the first time we'd met him).

As far as baby stuff goes, Kyle is definitely getting bigger. We are at 26 weeks now, which I think means third trimester is just around the corner, if you can believe that! His movements get harder everyday, but I do get an occasional slow night where he only wakes me up once, instead of having a party every time I get up to pee. Getting up and down (like off a sofa or in/out of a car) is becoming more laborious; I even had Kevin tie my tennis shoes for the first time this weekend because I just couldn't stand the pressure on my belly from leaning over!

We got more baby clothes! The cutest outfits ever from our good friend Laurel, who lives in Flagstaff. She brought two bags of tops, coveralls, socks, and washcloths that I so enjoyed opening; even a little sweatshirt from our alma mater (NAU)!

I know there is more to share, but I'm exhausted and waking up early to go look at a rental property for us to potentially live in; oh yes, we get to move this summer while I lumber through my 8th and 9th month! Wish me luck!

See you in a couple days!

Just a few notes before we head off to Prescott for the wedding:

This morning I took a couple hours and applied for WIC...turns out we qualify, so that'll help with groceries for now and later on solid foods for Kyle when he's about 6 months or so. Also, we had our waterbirth class tonight; I was expecting something different I guess. The nurse showed a video and then just kind of let us discuss. She did hand out some information that answered a lot of questions, but I guess I was thinking it'd be more structured, like a presentation on waterbirth, pros, cons, and some statistics. Tracy, our doula, attended and it was good to see her again. I got some tips on traveling to Prescott (which is at altitude), so that'll I'll be more comfortable!

And lastly, after we got home from the waterbirth class, Kevin and I were just relaxing and I noticed that half of my stomach was kind of punched up higher than the other side. I felt it and it was all hard; I think that means Kyle was jutting out a body part of some sort! He did it a couple of times, letting my stomach go back to normal than pushing his body up against it again...it was quite entertaining; much more so than the TV show we had on! Finally, he kicked a few times where he had been pushing my stomach up and then resorted to making his regular movements down lower in my abdomen.

P.S.-I have come up with two potential outfits to wear to the wedding this weekend, thanks to Tammy for helping me shop yesterday! I'll let you know how it goes! And one more thing, Kyle has a homepage at http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/k/kharkins/ with my latest belly picture from this week posted there!

So I forget...

...little tid bits of information from our week that I want to tell you about. We now own a baby sling from here. It's blue and I even got Kevin to try it on! I'm thinking maybe we'll practice using it with our cat Zoe; look for future pictures...lol. Kirsten was looking for a light weight sling and knew we were too, so when she had connections with a distributor here in AZ we were all for ordering one!

That's all I can remember for now...look for additional mini updates before we leave town for a wedding this upcoming weekend!

Right on track...

I can't believe how much bigger Kyle and I have to get before he arrives...Everyday he gets heavier! From what I understand about his development, he's basically a miniature newborn and the next couple months will be spent maturing his organs and how they function, in addition to adding on weight!

A few notable experiences have happened this week: First, Kyle was so active on Tuesday he made me nauseas the entire day. I had this horrible thought that he was going to be this active for the rest of the pregnancy, but he's slowed back down to his normal rate of activity again; not to say his kicks aren't getting stronger! The midwife seemed to think he was head down at our Monday appt. and I think I can verify that from the swift kick to my lower left rib cage I received Wed. night after changing positions in my sleep! I've gained about 19 pounds at this point and am on track if I gain a pound a week from here on out (and don't get sick again). Also, the midwife measured my tummy and I'm 24 cm. at 24 weeks, which is just right.

Today we're actually 25 weeks officially and are going to start taking weekly tummy pictures. In other news, I traveled across town to the largest baby stuff store in Tucson and enjoyed looking around there. I was considering potential take home outfits when a grandmother came up to me and asked me which outfit I would take my baby home in if I didn't know the sex. It was so cool that someone wanted my opinion just because I'm pregnant! Also, I realized I wasn't drinking enough during the day so I bought a 1 gallon jug with a handy dandy handle to carry around all summer from the water store. My goal is 1 gallon/day in addition to milk and juice, but so far I'm only at about 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon. I'm feeling better already!

I was browsing through the Harkins family calendar to see whose birthdays and anniversaries we had missed so far this year and noticed on the front page the cutest picture of Kevin, probably about 4 or so and I just thought "Is that what Kyle's going to look like? A miniature Kevin?". I'm so excited to find out!

And on a final note, we got to hang out with Kirsten and Jason Friday afternoon. Kirsten told me about her birth experience, which was really cool (and eye opening in many respects!). Kevin and I both had a chance to hold Ellie; I can't remember the last time I saw Kevin hold a baby, especially one so young. He had her kind of laying in his hands, supporting her head and he says "That can't be very comfortable" and Ellie kind of made some baby noises in reply, so he laid her on his thighs and she dozed with her hands up by her head like she was cheering; too sweet.

A brief overview...

So not a lot has happened lately...I'm definitely getting bigger because just this week clerks and cashiers wherever I go are asking when I'm due and if it's a boy or a girl. I can feel that Kyle's bigger and changing positions off and on due to where he's kicking me! Tonight is a prenatal appointment and we are at 24 weeks along (6 months if you use a 10 month scale). In the last couple days I have started experiencing what I assume is indigestion or heartburn, so the extra large size bottle of Tums is on my nightstand to ward off that "I'm ill and gonna puke again" feeling.

OH! I so forgot about yesterday; yes, I know it was Mother's Day, and I'll tell you about that in a minute. However, I got to tape Ellie's baby dedication and hold her! What a treat! She is so tiny and has changed so much in just one week...I can't believe we're going to have a baby in just a few short months! She was sleeping and making all of these cute baby noises; really precious. Now, in regards to Mother's Day, my poor husband has been so sick the last couple days, but still found the perfect card and took me out to eat, which I just LOVE to do. The card went something like "Us before kids...Us after kids...We're gonna make it!"; about how I feel most days!

I did end up in Phoenix for a couple days this past week and thank goodness for family! My cousin was in town and it was great to hear "You don't even look pregnant from the back" (haha). My face is definitely retaining water (a.k.a. getting fatter). I got a haircut on Thursday and resisted the urge to get a short cut due to my expanding face, despite the fact it's getting hotter. Also, and you may not have known this, but we now have A/C in the car again!!!! I'm hot all the time as it is, but to drive around Arizona without A/C is brutal.

We're in Tucson until May 18, then heading to Prescott for one of those weddings I wrote about a couple posts ago. No, I still don't have a dress, but Tammy is in town, so I need to touch base with her and see what we can do about this formal occasion! That's about it! Check out Kevin's blog for official name voting results!

IT'S A GIRL!

No silly, not for us...

I just got a call from our friends Jason and Kirsten and they had their baby girl, Elizabeth, last night! They were about 4 months ahead of us in this whole pregnancy adventure. Kirsten said it was hard and I know I can't even imagine; I'm anxious to hear about her experience. They had Elizabeth at the Birth and Women's Health Center here in Tucson, which is where we're planning on having our baby boy!

I think Kevin and I have been kind of relieved to have another couple a few months ahead of us in regards to pregnancy; they've provided invaluable information and tips so far! I'm sure with Elizabeth here, we'll learn a little more about the baby actually arriving!

The funny thing is that I was looking for Kirsten at church all day yesterday because she helped us order a baby sling and I had the check for her! We went to morning and evening services and I wondered if maybe Elizabeth was on her way :)!

That's it! I'll update a little later this week!