To labor or not to labor, that is the question...

It's 2:00 in the afternoon and I had just walked into the kitchen to warm up some soup. As I headed to the microwave a sudden gush (Webster's definition: "to emit a sudden copious flow") of fluid in my nether-region. Now I had just gone to the restroom as Peanut has the tendancy to sit on my bladder so I know what it wasn't. I was having no contractions that I felt so what could that have been???

I called Kristin to bother her yet again while she was at work to let her know what I was experiencing. "Call the doctor" was her calm, cool response. Of cours, call the doctor!!! I called and they suggested I go to the hospital to ensure that my amniotic fluid wasn't leaking. Okay, makes sense. We're going to the hospital to rule out a leak or rupture.

CRAP! We haven't packed our bags yet... We should have listened to Michele, our doula and everyone else who may have mentioned something about packing a bag. Okay...what to pack, what to pack? Where is that dang list?

Suitcase is out, birth "plan" is printing...awww shoot my mom is here to pick up Abby. How can I play this off???? I'll just let her know I'm taking a study break. Why is Kristin on her way home...think Einhorn, think! She's working the rest of the day from home! Yeah, that's the ticket! Apparently I did a pretty good job since she hung out for a little bit then headed home.

Mom has left, Kristin is home, bags are still not packed...jeez how difficult can it be? Seriously!!!

Finally, we're on our way. I'm driving because I'm still able to so am I in labor? I don't have a freakin' clue! We arrive at the hospital, park, walk in and head to the second floor to get checked in. I get sent into the hottest room in L&D triage, put on the bare all hospital gown and the monitoring begins. Apparently I AM having contractions but I'm not really feeling them. The fluid isn't amniotic fluid and I'm free to leave. Sure, it sounds like I was in and out, but not really. We were at the hospital for a couple of hours at least.

Funny thing though, while we were in triage, Kristin and I were discussing how I had been inadvertently telling everyone I was due on the 12th. Plus we got pinged on Laura's Facebook about wondering where her niece or nephew was. Sandee also asked, so did Sara, Cami, Whitney, Melissa...the list is long. We laughed a lot once we shared with each other how many of our friends inquired about Peanut.

Home again, home agin...jigitty jig. I'm not in labor, I'm not leaking amniotic fluid, and my contractions aren't painful....yet.

Keep the good, positive thoughts coming.

Love, K (squared) & Peanut

Crop circles...or Helpful Hint #2

So yesterday evening I decided it was time to do some yard work per say. Now when I say yard work I mean on a personal level. I like to think I'm not the only person who keeps things cleaned up in the nether-regions so because I'm a giver, I'm going to share with you what NOT to do when you are pregnant.

Rule #1 - once you get to the point in pregnancy where you can't see over your belly, DO NOT attempt any clean up effort in that region of your body...even if you think you know what you are doing by feel.
Rule #2 - if you have a partner who is willing to assist, take them up on the offer. Don't be proud!
Rule #3 - Just don't do it...ever.

Here's my story...my trial by fire if you will. I'm apparently going through some nesting phase at this point in my pregnancy. Apparently this means nesting in all aspects of my life. My thought is I want to be fairly cleaned up during labor, no '70's bush for me!! I pulled out the clippers and even though I can no longer see down south, I had the big idea that I could pull a little Helen Keller (no offense) and trim by feel. So I proceeded to trim by feel and felt incredibly proud at my blind success so to speak. However, when I looked in the mirror and saw the real product of my attempt, I realized just how bad it was.

The exasperated "Ahhh h*ll!" brought Kristin running back to the bathroom. She found me looking at myself in the mirror, holding my belly up to bask in my glory, to enjoy my work of art. All of a sudden my love, my partner, my go to person was doubled over and laughing hysterically. "It looks like a crop circle!!!" I exclaimed as I busted out in laughter and wondered how to fix my failed attempt at trimming.

A friend offered an idea for the future on what she did when she was pregnant. Sure, it makes sense now to do it that way. I could have layed down in the tub and practiced some abs at the same time as I cleaned up the nether region but remember, if I hadn't attempted to trim my way then you wouldn't have a what NOT to do list.

I'm a giver!!!

Love, Kim & the Peanut!

Wow...

Wow...those are the only words that came to my mind on Saturday when we walked into the anniversary party/peanut shower. How could everything come together to make Saturday one of the most perfect days in the entire world?
What was probably the most amazing part of the entire evening was the turnout. Who knew that we had so many people who love and care for us and would take time out of their lives to celebrate with us?
We had family drive in from Oklahoma, friends fly in from the south and many more friends who live in the city stop by to celebrate with us and share in our excitement of our upcoming arrival. Friends and family planned via email, phone and whatever other means of communication they chose to help make this party a huge success. The food was amazing, the cakes were perfect and apparently the beer and wine was good too. I'm still in awe. Everyone was amazing for coming together to make it as wonderful as it ended up being.
My big plan to give a speech about my thankfulness to everyone for being a part of this journey was thwarted...mostly due to my hormones which caused me to cry as soon as I got the first three words out. Sure, I'm going to blame my hormones. All my friends know that I am not a sensitive person who has a bladder behind my eyes. I hide that very well.
In my head, this is what is I wanted to say, sort of. "Thank you everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and celebrate today with us. There are some of you who have been a part of this journey since the beginning and others we were fortunate to befriend along the way. Regardless of the length of time that we have known you we want to thank you all for your love and support along the way. We look forward to sharing our new addition, Peanut, with you all and would love it if you were a part of his/her life. Thank you and we love you all very much."
So how difficult is that??? Geez...I'm such a sissy. ;o)

For everyone who has traveled along this path with us, we love you all more than words can express. Thank you for being a part of our lives.

Kim, Kristin and Peanut

Anger = Accomplishments

So I have to start off by saying I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching Peanut move. At first it was so freaky to see my belly move (yes, of course it reminded me of Aliens -all of them). I wonder what s/he is doing... We know in what position it is lying in my belly - head down, back running up my left-side. Peanut's had the hiccups a lot lately and that makes me laugh...and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I can't wait to meet him/her. October 14th is right around the corner!!!! Dr. Johnson is out of town the weekend of the 17th, so as far as I'm concerned, Peanut will NOT be arriving then. On time or a bit early is good for me! During the week too - that way we know Dr. J should be on call.

Apparently yesterday I woke up in a bad mood, although I didn't think so. Kristin and I had a disagreement before she left for work and it completely ruined my day. Miscommunication just s*ck!!! Regardless, I got a lot done around the house. Little things that have been looming really. I tried to put the new bookcase that I broke together with the new parts but they failed to send one part. I drug the 4-drawer file cabinet up the stairs. Yes, it was pretty difficult but trust me, I had enough pent up anger to get it up there a few time. After that I went out to start the yard and noticed that some tree branches needed trimming. Out came the saw and ladder and I cut lots of branches down and drug them to the back of the yard to the shrub pile/bunny rabbit house/deer feeding area. After that I cleaned up the yard and mowed it. By the time it was all said and done I was exhausted and had to take a nap!!! This weekend our to-do list will be shortened. We have to put up Peanut's blind in the room and put together the hutch. Also wash the windows and window covering on the main level.

Kristin and I are meeting at the gym in a few minutes. I'm looking forward to it because in this trimester Peanut is supposed to gain LOTS of weight. I would prefer it only be Peanut and not me as I have received numerous comments that I don't look like I'm due in October. I would prefer to stay that way so post-partum isn't as tough as it could be in regards to getting back into shape.

Have a great day!!!

Kim & Peanut

Ear Buds

So I have read (or heard) that playing music for the baby in the womb as well as reading to the baby is very beneficial. Apparently they are able to hear things from around 26 weeks of pregnancy so I decided that playing music wouldn't hurt, would it? I borrowed a little cd player from my mom and tried to figure out the head phone situation. Now you can buy headphones that supposedly fit over your pregnant belly, but seriously, how comfortable would that really be? I have a pair of headphones from college that are fairly big and I tried them across my belly and near my belly. Not comfortable and I questioned could the Peanut really hear it from a distance if I didn't have the earphones wrapped around my belly?
Think Kim... I have an ipod that came with earbuds. My new belly button (see previous post) is oddly enough the shape of an ear canal, sort of. It's not necessarily the shape of an ear canal, but surprisingly the earbud does stay in there quite well. I stick on bud in the belly button and one bud in the thigh/belly crease (the pregnant belly does hold it there - sigh) and alternate music every night. According to Peanut's movement, his/her favorite type of music (other than Mamma Kristin singing either 'Goodnight Sweetheart' or 'You Are My Sunshine') is Leahy. An upbeat, very fun Irish band. I think the Peanut enjoys the beat and energy of the music. My plan is to ensure I have Leahy on my ipod (if I can figure the d@mn thing out and make room for all the music I painstakingly burned and sorted in a certain way for bday) - but that in and of itself is a different post.

Until then...

Helpful Hint #1

I have been pondering in my head whether to post this blog or not as some may not want to hear it. Well...too bad. Consider it a helpful hint or what not to do when you get pregnant and have an annoying dog who is incredibly persistent about playing catch.

Let's just start out the story by stating a fact. I am getting used to the whole new 'pregnant body' and while it's not my favorite shape I am starting to be "at peace" with it. The larger breasts, the full and seemingly round tummy that is taking shape is freaking me out a bit. I'm not looking forward to the day where I am unable to see my feet. I hope to take that day in stride, but no promises.

So as many of you know we have a sweet, precious devil-dog named Keefer. Keefer has an addiction, he must have his yellow rubber ball at all times. It's either in his mouth or in the vicinity where he is sitting, standing, lying down or eating. If we're in the bathroom (his special one-on-one room) using the facilities, he brings it to the door and rolls it to our feet with his nose. We learned the hard way that shower time was no time to play ball with the big, black devil.

One morning I had just finished showering and I was in the bedroom getting ready. I was half dressed, the bottom half, when Keefer thought it was the ideal time to play. He would roll me the ball, I would throw it. A game of fetch ensued. Well, Keefer got a little excited and rolled the ball under the bed. GRRR. Dangit Keefer!! Somehow by the grace of God, I slowly, and by no means gracefully, got down on my hands and knees in search of Keefer's most adored toy. I made the mistake of not having a bra or shirt on yet. When I say mistake, trust me on this. Here I am, on all fours searching under the bed for this d@mn ball when all of a sudden I notice two severely disproportioned bag-like things hanging from my chest. What the h*ll!!! What are these?? Whose are these?? For the love of God where did they come from??

I have two incredibly elongated breasts hanging from my chest. Why God, why?? Where are my old breasts? Will they ever return? How can a human being look so much like a heifer who has ginormous udders?? Is this what pregnancy is all about?

I made the mistake of calling out to my partner and soul mate for reassurance. "Is this for real?" I cried out? Between fits of laughter and tears from the fits of laughter she reassured me that I was still beautiful. There was no cause for concern or fear.

Now ladies, if you're pregnant and happen to have an annoying dog, may I suggest one thing? Get rid of the ball or never, ever, no matter what get down on all fours with no bra or shirt on to search for something (especially your dogs ball). It's not pretty and trust me, you'll never look at yourself without thinking of cattle.

Into the 7th Month

I's really going to happen...
I know this because our baby furniture arrived on Tuesday. Yes sir, we have a crib and a dresser/hutch for the Peanut. We even have an outfit or two that we can put in it...just needs to be washed.
As for decorations...we're going with the Carter's Tall Tales from Babies R Us. It's mellow, and of course there are a few animals in it. They make some wall decals that go with it and I think we're going to see if Isabella and Michele want to help put them up this week/weekend since they're in town.
We're trying to decide if we want to put our handprints in the Peanuts room or not. We'll see if there is a place for them - a perfect place.

Is there life after summer school?

I honestly didn't realize what I was getting myself into and then I can honestly say I never thought I'd make it. Summer school...shouldn't it truly be like the Mark Harmon movie of the late '80's early '90's??? I can honestly tell you it was the most difficult thing I have ever done (school-wise) in my entire life! I had help, support and more help from my friends and family (you know who you are) and for sure I wouldn't have been able to have been successful in the class without you. My final grade hasn't been posted yet (they are due in by 5:00 tonight) so I won't know what my actual grade is until later. Let's just say it now, if Peanut enjoys Chemistry and becomes a world-renowned Chemist, we'll all know why.

Peanut!!! I bet your wondering how things are going huh? Well, I'm (we) are officially in our third trimester. Can you believe it? I'm wondering how much bigger I'm going to get? People (Kristin) say I don't "look pregnant" from the back but boy howdy do I feel pregnant. I feel really good actually. Relieved that the 3-hour glucose tolerance test I had to take came back negative (meaning I passed and Peanut wasn't suffering from gestational diabetes). Really good news there.

The newest thing that Peanut does now is react to music...well certain people singing . Peanut tends to get excited (e.g. move around more often than not) when Kristin sings her special "Peanut songs" to it at bedtime. I think its adorable and Peanut seems to like it so if I can convince her to continue I think we'll have a tradition around bedtime of Kristin singing it to sleep.

That's all for now...will write more later!!!

Definition of a good mom?

I have been contemplating and wondering a lot lately if I was going to be a good mom. How would I measure a good mom? Will I be protective enough? Nurturing enough? Caring enough?

Last night (or early this morning) at around 2:15 a.m. my ever vigilant watch dog, Keefer sounded the alarm. With his four paws trying to gain traction as fast as he could on our wood floor and his deep gutteral bark, he made his way out the doggy door and to the bottom of our river birch. I sleepily awoke and slowly made my way to the sliding glass door and commanded him in. He came at once, like a good dog should and I immediately blocked the door so he and Bailey couldn't get out.

Once I had the yard secure, I grabbed our dilapidated ladder and placed it under the tree. I was going to climb and get the bird feeders out of the tree and go back to bed...or so I thought. I heard a lot of commotion in the tree and that caused me to pause. I immediately went back inside, woke up my 15 1/2 year old niece, Monica from her coma and asked her for her assistance. We both went back outside, this time armed with the spot light. I shined the light into the middle of the tree and was immediately mooned by two little raccoon butts. Monica was in charge of spotting the animals while I climbed the ladder to rescue our 4 bird feeders. Inside we went and back to sleep was the idea.

I decided to wait and watch for a minute to ensure the raccoons exited our yard with haste. I waited, and waited and waited. Finally I saw a dark lump moving across an even darker yard. I shined the spot light and saw one raccoon climb the fence...and stop. Why wasn't it running away after it had been spotted?? This raccoon sat on the fence contemplating whether to jump down the other side or stay on top. Why??? Finally the indecisive raccoon exited the yard and I thought was gone.

1 down, 1 to go. Should I go to bed or wait? I waited...and saw another dark figure slinking down the tree...and back up again. What?!?!?!?!? Leave our yard!!! Please!!! For the love of God I'm tired and would really like for my vicious beagle to be quiet!!! Something in the back of our yard caught my eye so I sent the beam of spotlight that direction. Could it be???? Is that the raccoon that just left our yard? Why is it hiding in the evergreen that hangs over our fence? Why is it still staring at our tree??? Then I understood. This was a momma raccoon and the two raccoon butts were her babies. So 3 total in our tree. Okay. I'll turn off all the lights and try to get our watch dogs to leave them alone so they feel comfortable enough to leave. No luck. For whatever reason the babies didn't want to come down. They would climb down and run back up the tree. Perhaps it was the dogs or maybe it was the crazy biped with the bright light that kept them confused and in the tree. Regardless of all the commotion, dogs barking and jumping at the windows, bright lights in eyes, I saw a dark lump lurking across the yard from our evergreen. Are you kidding me? Momma raccoon wanted to make sure her babies got down from the tree and were safe. Even with all the dogs and crazy humans. Amazing!!! I had to turn our front porch light on just to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. Even with Keefer, our 85 pound lab mix trying to get out to chase them away the momma continued in her quest to make it to the bottom of the tree. I had to know where the babies were so I shined the spotlight in the tree and low and behold, there were 4 baby raccoons climbing on one another at the bottom crook of our tree. Finally, momma raccoon was at the bottom and slowly each little baby decided to climb head first down the tree. 4 babies were on the ground and momma was leading the way to the back of the yard for the cover of the evergreen. I had to watch their exit and was actually touched by the sight of a larger, mother raccoon leading 4 babies to safety. The line of 5 raccoons running across the yard and over the fence made me smile and feel good that everything ended up alright.

I climbed back in bed and noticed it was 3 something in the morning. I'm tired but feel blessed, is that the right word, to have been a part of this event.

Can I be a vigilant mother like the raccoon momma? Can I be as nurturing or caring? Will my safety matter if my offspring were in trouble? I can't answer that right now but I'd like to believe that I can be a good of a mother as this momma raccoon is. Nature has taught me so many things, little did I know it would be an example of how a mother should be.

24 Weeks old!!!

How do you say happy birthday to something that hasn't been born yet. For 24 weeks I've been trying to figure out a phrase to congratulate the Peanut for his/her weekly milestone. Nothing has really pleased me...

So yesterday I was working and I have a binder on my tummy to refer to. All of a sudden I felt a flutter in my belly and I SWEAR that that flutter made my binder move. Seriously!!!

I'm going to digress a bit to the whole birth 'plan' post from before.

So I looked up the definition of plan. Merriam-Webster online says the definition of 'plan' is 1: a drawing or diagram drawn on a plane: as a: a top or horizontal view of an object b: a large-scale map of a small area 2 a: a method for achieving an end b: an often customary method of doing something : procedure c: a detailed formulation of a program of action d: goal, aim3: an orderly arrangement of parts of an overall design or objective4: a detailed program (as for payment or the provision of some service)

Based on that definition and the fact that EVERYONE says we need a 'plan' but that this 'plan' is going to more than likely CHANGE...I have decided to call it our 'Birth Idea'. Apparently a true 'plan' is out of the question.

OH!!! I don't think I ever signed up for the whole belly button is going to change shapes! What in the world is THAT all about??? Holy Moly. How did I find this out you might ask. Well, oddly enough I was washing my belly and obviously the button is part of the belly washing. My finger went in and all of a sudden it didn't feel like MY belly button anymore. It's a foreign hole in the middle of my fast-growing belly. So now the question I ask myself is this, will my belly button ever be my belly button again?

When people told us life was going to change...they weren't kidding!!!

A Birthing Plan....yeah right

Are you people serious?? You want us to come up with a birthing plan??? I can hardly plan my day yet it seems that having a birthing plan is the way to go.

Let's go through the idea of a birthing plan. We have to have a bag ready. Okay, I can see how that will come in handy. Throw a pair of undies and a bra that no longer fits into a bag. Makes sense. The hospital will provide an outfit or two right? But we have to pack for a bundle of joy that isn't here yet. So we're supposed to know what the Peanut is going to need? I know a diaper...duh. I have heard of people who buy special "coming home" outfits. Yeah...I doubt that is going to be part of our birth plan. So a onesie (is that how you spell that????) and a dress if it's a girl and a football uniform if its a boy. Got it. Do they make shoulder pads that small? I'm certain a mini helmet will fit won't it?

Also, we're supposed to know what route we're going to take to the hospital. Why is that important to me? I'm not driving! I'll probably be pointing out every little thing the driver isn't doing right in my expert opinion but I won't be driving...at least I hope I won't be.

What else have they said about this wonderful idea of a "PLAN"? Oh....make a plan but allow for some leaway. Then what's the point in a plan??!??!! My idea of a plan is my idea. Why should I have to allow for changes in my/our plan??? Changes to my plan is going to make childbirth that much more painful. Oh the joy....

Its been too long...

Sorry for the delay in blogging. It seems that Chemistry, Lab and work have become the number one priority in life these days. 7 weeks left...I hope I can make it.

Wednesday we met with our doulah, Jordan to get a high level overview of her philosophy, etc. We knew we wouldn't be disappointed and of course we were not. Jordan seems to have thought of everything that we wanted to ask but didn't think about asking. She will be with us during delivery and will wear whatever hat she needs to to ensure things go the way we want when Peanut decides to arrive in the world. We are very excited to be working with her.

Friday we toured Research Hospital's Labor and Delivery unit and I think we were impressed with their new digs. They have a Level 3 NICU (God forbid we'd have to use it) but that seems to be a little more reassuring for Kristin and myself. They also have this cool VIP package that would allow us to receive a larger room, food for Kristin whenever I received food as well as some other niceties. We are probably going to 'upgrade' to that if we choose Research as our delivery hospital.

Saturday we are going to tour NKC hospital and see what they have to offer us. We have an 11:00 appointment and are walking in the Relay for Life on Friday night/Saturday morning. Needless to say I may be tired and grumpy. :o) I think I know which hospital we want to go to but we' re keeping our options open until all of the tours are complete.

Until later...take care

I'm 20 weeks old today!!!

As promised, here are my most recent pictures...this is a side view of me and my head is to the right of the frame. If you look you can see my spine too. While my pictures were being taken I moved around a lot. In fact one of my favorite positions was to lay with one or both of my arms draped over my head. VERY comfortable. Doesn't it look like I'm blowing bubbles too?
I'm officially 'half-baked' and I weigh 7 ounces give or take an ounce or two. The doctor said I was doing well....YEAH!!!

Below is a picture of my foot...can you see it??? It's at the top in the middle of the image. I also like to hold on to my foot with one hand when I'm hanging out. It's another comfortable position for me.

The third picture is similar to the first one only this time I think you can see my profile a little better.

I can't wait to meet you all...please keep up the prayers and good thoughts for me.

Whew, what a relief...Peanut's 20-week appointment went really well. Our sonogram showed that h/she had 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 functioning kidneys, a good, strong heartbeat, a normal head....you name it, it seems that his/her development is going well. Peanut is weighing in at a whopping 7 ounces (give or take an ounce or two). The heartbeat according to the sono was around 139 beats per minute. Its lower than the last two doppler's registered but according to the doc its still well within the normal range. During the sonogram, Peanut seemed to be laying with one and sometimes both arms draped over his/her head. There's a lot of movement but I'm not feeling much, at least I don't think I am. My placenta is a little low right now and in 5 weeks (thanks to RB being in the Phillipines) we will have another sono to ensure the placenta moves away from my cervix. Pictures will be posted (if I can figure out how to post them) soon...
OH! I almost forgot - Peanuts due date is now October 14th instead of the 15th. If this keeps up he/she will be earlier than we have ever thought about being.

Are you serious....week 20 already???

So the growing Kastilooney family has reached 20 weeks and that means the Peanut is half-baked. (We'll be at 20 weeks on Thursday). Tomorrow we have our checkup and have a sonogram or ultrasound, I'm not sure which one we're going to have. This is the checkup where families who want to find out the sex of the baby are able to. Of course we have chosen not to find out Peanut's sex so that means we're going with fun, neutral colors.



Peanut's room - formerly known as the spare bedroom is a disaster area. We have removed the bed and roll top desk that used to live there. Now there are numerous piles of clothes to donate, trash to throw away, documents to go through, papers to shred and boxes to remove. My plan is to start working on that again today, when I get home from Costco and before work.



I'd like to go for a bike ride as my time is quickly passing before I'm no longer allowed on a bike. Apparently my OB/Gyn doesn't know my catlike balance and has suggested that after 20-weeks I shouldn't ride. I'd also like to go to the driving range or play 9-holes of golf - something before school starts this summer. Lots of things I'd 'like to do' and lots of things I'd 'like to get accomplished' - where does the time go???