Houston..we have a due date! Sort of....

So...last night I slept like a rock...probably some of the best sleep I have ever had! It was so good I could almost compare it to the kind of sleep you get when you have surgery..that lovely anesthesia induced coma...it was that good last night! As I mentioned in our last blog, we are leaving for CA tomorrow morning. My first doctor's appointment is on Tuesday at 2pm..and I honestly dont know which one I am more excited about..the vacation or my first appointment! I never thought I would be so excited to get poked and prodded! But I am!! : )
My sis-in-law who had a baby 12 weeks ago told me to check out http://www.babycenter.com/. So I decided to do that and sit back and relax until the appt. OH MY GOODNESS! Its a mommy-to-be's dream website. How on earth did our mothers survive without the internet? I really dont know!
This website is the best thing since PB&J..which is my new craving evidently! On the website they have clubs you can join for moms that are expecting around the same time you are. They have an extensive list of Q&As and you can list your own question to members and they write you back! Its so cool! Thank you Steph for that tip, its awesome!

One of the other features they have is a due date calculator..which also helped explain to me how the nurse at the doctor's office determined I was 4 weeks already? I didnt get that math..now I do. Anyways...I plugged in the numbers it asked me for..and viola..we got a TENTATIVE due date! So..without further ado...drum roll please...our due date is none other than OUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! FEBRUARY 20TH!! So, I guess we will see if Peanut makes "his" appearance then or not. The sooner the better. But not until "he" is healthy! D and I were talking last night..we just dont know how we're going to make it 9 more months...we're so excited..we're ready for Peanut to come already. BUT we're also reminded of how broke we will be once Peanut comes (who knew insurance on Peanut alone would cost us an additional $300 a month, plus day-care, diapers, and baby STUFF) and we still have so much to do before Peanut comes, and then the 9 months of pregnancy just doesnt seem so long anymore. How does that country song go..."You're gonna miss this" ...so I keep telling myself to cherish every moment about this journey and not try to rush to the delivery date. And Im sure the song is right..one day I will miss this part and want it back...

Oh and trust me..I made sure to remind D..if Peanut comes on our wedding anniversary, that will be QUITE a gift...but Peanut's birthday and our anniversary are 2 separate things..so no skimping on anniversary gifts, LOL! Just kidding, not really : ) I know having a baby will be the greatest gift ever, but I do not want to lose sight of what a tremendous accomplishment one more year of marriage is each year. So many couples just dont make the cut these days. Trust us, we know : ) So I want to cherish every year I have with this amazing man. D, may you continue to put up with me..and my antics! Cheers my love..have one for me : )

Are we lucky or what? : )

This week Peanut (thats what D and I have started calling Baby K) is going to be a traveling peanut! In just a few short days we will set off for the great state of California. Last year, pre-peanut, we went to Cabo and flew Continental Airlines. They asked us to take a later flight, which we obliged, and they gave us vouchers for $200 a person that were good for a year. So this year when I asked D where he would like to go he said he had always wanted to go to CA and drive up and down the coast. So..we booked our flight for arrivial in Sacramento and figured we would take advantage of casa de la Aunt Boopy and Uncle Fred's hospitality. So...here we are..diligently planning our vacation. Originally we had planned to spend a couple days in Sacramento, a couple days in San Fran, and maybe a day trip to Lake Tahoe south. Well..since it wasnt ski season we decided to nix Lake Tahoe. Tuesday June 8th D comes home grinning ear to ear. I finally get it out of him what he is so excited about..and he tells me he has booked a trip to NAPA for me while we are in CA! I am BEYOND elated...next to Dustin and family, and a good choc milkshake...wine may be my very favorite thing in the world. He not only booked the trip, but enlisted the help of my Aunt for the very best places to go while there in Napa. She told him to take me to a winery in an old castle, as well as one in a cave. I am so excited I can barely sit still. Then..just 4 days later we find out Peanut is on his way! LOL!!! What a mess. The trip of a lifetime and well..the news of a lifetime : ) "He" is worth it. Dustin tells me he will buy me a bottle of all the wine I think I might like and we'll bring it home and drink it in a year..now doesnt that sound awesome..a year...really : ) Good thing wine gets better with age.
Well with Napa having a sligth bummer..we decide to focus a lot of our attention on the San Fran leg of our trip. Dustin's work schedule is really hectic right now so he delgates this portion of the trip to me. I gladly take it on and hope we can book some fun things to do and places to stay. As I start booking our vacation I soon discover that many of the hotels are already booked. What the heck? I finally find a great hotel and book it and decide to inquire, while I have a body on the phone, as to why everything is so booked. The guy proudly fills me in on the fact that this is San Fran's greatest weekend. It is none other than GAY PRIDE weekend in the gay capitol of the world. Seriously?? I mean..who does this happen to? Napa trip and you cant drink...San Fran trip and its gay pride weekend. I quickly fill Dustin in and ask him if he wants to rethink this whole Lake Tahoe thing...and to my surprise he is still game for San Fran!! I am actually really excited to make it back there...SF has been a long time top pick on my list of fav cities. And maybe the parade will keep a lot of people away from Alcatraz AND the Ghiradelli chocolate factory...because I plan to spend quite a bit of time in there. I hope Peanut allows it. So far he has had nothing to do with sweets still. The lil dictator! : ) So Peanut..we promised to be good parents and like my mom did with me...expose you to culture and art...so..we are keeping up our end of the bargain! We love you Peanut...may you enjoy your weekend in SF..and more importantly..please let mom enjoy this weekend without showing my lunch and ruining everyone's parade : )

Oh Mr Sandman..bring me a dream..and for pete's sake will someone get D a stroller : )

Before I dive off into the latest with Baby K..I thought I would mention a couple little side notes. First off...I can eat EVERYTHING right now. Lil Nugget is a hungry, hungry little person and mom just cannot bring it in fast enough. However...I have lost 6 pounds!! Talk about relishing something..this has been the best week of my life! Baby K also has a taste for anything and everything spicy..and foods I dont like..I cannot stand sausage or pepperoni. And peanut butter has never been one of my favs either. Here lately, if it is spicy, pepperoni, or peanunt butter, its gone! And if you know me, you know I cannot say no to any sweets. Brownies, cake, milkshakes, anything sweet used to be my best friend. I havent wanted anything sweet in a week now. Actually the thought of it kind of repulses me. The only sweet that sounds good is chocolate milk.
I am starting to wonder if this baby is mine? No brownies? Surely we are not related : )

My husband has had a long time history of talking in his sleep. One infamous story of this "talent" of his occurred when he was much younger and spending the night at his best friend Cory's house. Dustin, sound asleep sits up, looks over at Cory, eyes still closed, and says as loud as he can.."Its ALL GOOOOOODD!" What a nerd! : ) Last night our Peanut had me up for a few hours. During the time of misery and excitement I laid in the bed looking up at the ceiling and thinking how incredibly lucky I am. I was half way wondering what must be going through his mind when all of the sudden he let me know. Out of nowhere D evidently starts talking about work? I look over thinking my tossing and turning has woken him up and he's talking to me...nope...I look over and he is sound asleep. And when he talks in his sleep its not the mumbo jumbo cant really understand what you're saying babble. Oh no...my guy, true to form, as confident and articulate asleep as he is awake!! In perfect annunciation D says, "No the stucco needs to protrude out, not be flush with the wall"
He then evidently wanders over to the OTHER part of his life...me..and peanut : ) Again in perfect form he says, "No I think we should get this stroller. I like the way it looks better and it will fit in your car much easier" Again with the stroller my love? Really?? This boy...never ceases to put a smile on my face. I couldnt help but crack up as I lay there in bed. So Mr. Sandman...although I do enjoy these cramps because I know they are making room for our Peanut...I would appreciate the occasional dream sleep (while I still can) And will someone please buy my husband a stroller...it is evidently weighing heavily on his mind : )

This weekend we are going to enjoy the QUIET in our house that is no doubt a temporary fixture. Tonight we are going to watch a movie and laugh at what a difference a week can make in our lives : ) Tomorrow...I guess we will go buy a stroller. Wishing the best to all of you...have a great weekend

You're pregnant...CRAP! : )

Not a whole lot going on in Baby K world today. Had another case of the pregnancy hormones today and spent most of the day quiet and a little sad. I am worried about what my job may say once they find out we're expecting. But..for now I am going to keep plugging away and doing a good job and keeping my chin up.

Last night Dustin texted one of his good buddies from work to tell him the news. Now this story may not be so funny to those of you that do not know Coleman..but for those that do..this text message exchange had D and I rolling on the floor laughing last night. Dustin joined a deer lease this year and we are very excited about it. Coleman is also on this same lease and he and D can get into all kinds of trouble together, they are quite a pair. We always talked about raising our kids on a deer lease, just like Ashley and I had growing up. Looks like that will be a reality now : ) Below is the exchange...

Dustin: Lauren is pregnant!

Mike: CRAP!!!
Is that good?
Bye bye deer lease...

Dustin: YES its good

Mike: Name him Mike

Dustin: What if its a girl?

Mike: Dont even talk like that. NO GIRLS!

Like I said, it may not be funny to those that dont know Coleman but we laughed until our sides hurt last night.

One thing I thought I may mention, I am sooo ready for Lil Nugget! Its funny how much can change in just a few days. On Sunday I was in full out panic mode that we werent ready..there were still vacations to take, big ticket items to buy, selfish acts to accomplish..lots to do! But..now that I have come to grips with Lil Nugget I am so incredibly overjoyed and excited I feel like I am going to burst. I get giddy now with every cramp (even though they hurt BAD) And I absolutely cannot wait to get to the point where I get to feel movement in there. BUT, in the mean time I am going to relish every moment of this. It has completely blown my mind how much I have enjoyed bring pregnant so far. Must be from all the pampering I am getting at home : ) This blog has suprised me too...and how much I enjoy writing about our Baby K. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do. Im sure there will be lots more to blog about..but today was a slow day. Thanks for stopping by! God has truly, truly blessed us and I am so very happy!

Baby K has an Auntie A!!!!!!

Well..Baby K has a new name. Baby K is now lovingly being referred to as "Lil Nugget" by "his" Auntie Ashley!! Last night Dustin and I decided if Ashley wouldnt come to us, we would go to her. Ha! Ever since we found out Saturday night that we were expecting I have been dying to tell all the family. I asked Ash to come to dinner Sunday..she couldnt. Tried to make plans for dinner with her this week..she wasnt free until Thursday, and suggested sushi...that wouldnt work : ) So last night she had a kickball game in Pearland and we stopped by there to watch her game. I told her D had a meeting on that side of town to throw her off and that we were craving one of our favs for dinner...Central Texas BBQ. We watched the end of her last game and as D and I sat in the bleachers we giggled about yelling out, "GO AUNTIE" when she was up to kick. Ha! We waited until she finished and as we were heading out of the parking lot she asked me if I would like a beer. Dustin laughed and chimed in and said, "No you cant have a beer." I looked back at him and smiled and said, "why not, because Im pregnant?" Ashley stopped dead in her tracks screamed, cried, smiled the biggest smile, and then hugged me so hard I thought I might topple over : ) She then announced to the entire ball park that she was going to be an Aunt and her sis was PREGNANT, LOL...it was hands down one of the most memorable moments of my entire life. Or as my Dad says, "Tonight was another part of the reel that flashes before my eyes when I go" We went on to eat at Central Texas and Ashley proceeded to cry and laugh and hug me throughout dinner. I have never felt more excited in my life. Auntie Ashley then texted me throughout the rest of the night telling me how much she loved me and how excited she was. She already has a plan together to buy "Lil Nugget" a drum set and feed "him" cake for breakfast. I laughed when she told me about feeding Lil Nugget cake for breakfast. A long standing memory for Ash and I is how absolutely spoiled we always were with our entire family and especially our Aunt Debbi. On multiple occassions when we stayed over with her we would wake up to, "who wants pie for breakfast???" Hahaha! Ash and I would look at eachother puzzled and say pie for breakfast..and Aunt Debbi would reply back with.."what...apple is a fruit!" So many fond memories with all of our family, I am so excited to bring a new life into this world with such an amazing family to love on "him" And..I know with my heart of hearts that Ash will be a great Aunt and I am really excited that she is so eager to take on her new role.
Another exciting event last night...Baby K also has another grandma! Dustin has been so anxious to tell his mom the new news! He finally gave in and called her on her way home last night. We wanted to wait until her birthday but that was still 3 weeks away. She was thrilled beyond words and I know it meant the world to D to hear her anticipation of the upcoming "Lil Nugget" She wants to go shopping already, LOL! If you know Jolene, this will comes as no surprise to you : )

Dustin..as if he werent a dream come true already..surprised me yet again yesterday. On our way down to the ballpark last night to meet Ash he told me he stopped by the day care I mentioned in the post below. The one we will have to win the lottery in order to afford. : ) He stopped by there on the way home since he got off early, and he even took a tour. His eagerness and "hands on" attitude through this whole thing have touched my heart more than I ever thought imagineable. I have always known DK was a dream come true..but it never ceases to amaze me how truly blessed I am to have this man and "daddy" in my life. And let me tell you..this is one excited Daddy-to-be! He informed me last night he wants the BIGGEST sign ever in the yard when Lil Nugget debuts. So Judy...get your jig saw and painting skills ready, cause D wants a baby sign : )

Side note: I keep referring to the baby as Lil Nugget or "him" because I dont want to call Baby K "it"...and I am hoping for first, a healthy baby...but second...a BOY! I have wanted a little boy since I was a little kid...so I am hoping Baby K turns out to be a happy, healthy, baby boy. Dustin says he has no preference at all just healthy. So I hope he gets what he wants, and that I get what I want : ) LOL.

There are still so many people to tell this new exciting news to and I cant wait to spread the word with D..and everyone has been a dream come true. Dustin and I are so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives. I have never felt more loved in all my life. Just know that each and every one of you mean so much to us, and thank you for being excited about our news. I know this baby will be spoiled and loved beyond our wildest dreams. GOD IS GOOD!

Does the Dr. know I am clueless???

So...only 72 hours into this whole thing and I am beyond excited!! ELATED even. Last night I had some of the girls from the neighborhood over for dinner. We watched The Bachelorette, ate brownies and laughed at how incredibly dumb this reality show is. But, it does make for good Monday night entertainment, especially in the summer when all the shows are re-runs. All the girls found out the news last night and they were all thrilled for us. Having so much excitement and happiness around us makes a huge difference and I consider us truly, truly blessed.

Yesterday was a pretty eventful day. I made my first doctor's appointment..that was both exciting and incredibly frustrating. I call the lady, give her my information, she asks some questions and somehow determines that I am at least a month along? I dont understand her math in this, but I wont go into all of that. So..my first appointment is June 29th at 2pm. I asked the receptionist if that was the soonest she could get me in and she said yes. She proceeded to tell me the doctor liked to see patients at their 6-8 week mark. I then proceeded to tell her does the doctor realize I have no CLUE what Im doing and I should probably see her right away! If left unattended I may go eat sushi, drink caffeinated beverages, and dye my hair...its important I see her right away. The receptionist suggested I get a book and hang tight. I guess she has done this before : ) So...see previous blog regarding hand me down books from my angel APC..so thats what we did, we read. Last night after the girls left I went into our bedroom to tell D that he could come out now. I felt bad banishing him to our room during girls night but he had the Wii and seemed content. When I went in there there was no Wii bowling going on..instead he was curled up on our bed reading the baby books and telling me all about what Im to experience in the next couple weeks.... he read ahead : )

In addition to making my first appointment I also called around to inquire about day cares/nannies. The day care we would like to place Baby K in is on a waiting list until Jan..so as much as it seems like I am WAY ahead of myself..not the case. Right now we are at the top of the list for our March/April arrival. Now..all we have to do is hit the lottery or take out a second mortgage on the house in order to afford said day care. We have QUICKLY come to the realization that we will be blissfully broke for the rest of our lives : )

This morning Dustin's mind must have been racing about all we have to do as well. On one hand we're both thinking, we have 9 months we can relax...on the other hand we're in full out freak out mode (well scratch that...I am in full on freak out mode, D is his normal, calm, collected self) that we ONLY have 9 months until our lives change forever. Anyways, D popped right up this morning from his slumber and said...we got to get a stroller. I laughed and asked, "right now?" He said well...yeah..we got to get a stroller. Little do we know, the stroller will probably be the least of our worries. We both got ready for work..and I again thanked my lucky stars for no REAL morning sickness.... YET. And Dustin thanked me for carrying our little one. Now if that doesnt make you melt........ : ) Who wouldnt want to have kiddos with this amazing guy?

Week #1 Oh my Gosh!!!

Well...many of you will not get to read this for another week or more. A friend of mine from high school started a blog when they were expecting and I have loved it so much, I decided to start my own. So..here I am..week one of we're pregnant..actually only 48 hours into we're pregnant : ) As I said not many people know right now. But you will..and I wanted to write down all of my feelings as they come so you can experience this crazy journey with us!

So..here is our story. This past Friday night Dustin (who I will lovingly refer from here on out as D or DK) and I went to Pearland to visit with my sis and Dad. We had an awesome dinner at Centercourt with a few drinks (little did I know they would be my last for a while) and good company. The following day D and I stayed home and worked around the house and ran errands. That night we were supposed to head over to the neighbor's house for some vino and more good company. I had just half corked the bottle of vino I had selected for the evening when D said you know...you have shown more symptoms this month than ever before, we should take a test before you drink the wine. I told him he was crazy and I wasnt even "late" yet. But, the big guy must have given D a hunch. So..in order to humor my husband I decide to take the dumb test. We sit in the bathroom together while we wait the 3 minutes for it to "post" I say to him..you know this is a huge waste of time right? He agrees but says it didnt hurt anything. I go to pick up the test that will no doubt say "NOT pregnant" and WHOA NELLIE..I nearly fell over when the NOT was missing from the test results. D looked at me...we cried, we hugged, and we both thought..what are we going to do? I have never felt such a wave of emotion my whole life. It didnt go at all like I had in mind. I thought I would have some sort of sign that this was coming...or symptoms at least? I had nothing...and having always been told by many doctors that it would be really hard for me to conceieve without meds..I was even more floored. 10 minutes after the results we kept staring at the test waiting on the NOT to show up..how could this be?? That was almost too easy??? And QUICK : ) Who'd a thought Mrs D Kelch was aka Fertile Fairy! My emotions swirled over the next 24 hours, everything from total excitement to panic, to absolute FEAR and isolation. I felt like the only prego woman in the world. And I had this GREAT guy by my side...why in the world I felt alone, I dont understand. BUT, the good news is that quickly faded into utter elation. Speaking of utter..that is one symptom I already have..I feel like a cow..a big bloated cow!! I know it will only get worse from here..but at least it will be a firm BIG belly..right now I feel like the ocean is in my tummy. A lot of my fears were subdued by a really good friend who just had a baby. I have always loved this girl to pieces but my goodness....who knew she was also my guardian angel through this. D and I met her and her fab husband the morning after we found out and what a doll! She just had a baby so she had all kinds of knowledge and do's and dont's to pass on to us. It was also really nice to get her husband's point of view on all this and I know it helped D out a lot. This lunch came complete with amazing hand me down books and our very first baby gift...now that will help it seem real like no other, baby gifts!! I am SO blessed to have this angel in my life right now. Thank you APC, I dont know what I would have done without you those first 24 hours! The day was followed by more good news when I also found out some more girls in the neighborhood are also expecting? Alone?? What was I thinking?? D tells me I talk A LOT so I will wrap this up..but I just want to say THANK YOU..for reading the blog in its entirity, for being there for me, and thank you God for this amazing blessing you have bestowed upon us. I hope we will make you proud : ) Special thanks to D really quickly. I dont know how you put up with me those first 24 hours, I know I was a real peach..but I love you more than you could ever imagine! Thank you for our baby, and for choosing to live this crazy life with me : )