all quiet on the western, er southern, front

we are spending the week prepping for the marathon! the shot blocks and gels are purchased, sleep is happening A LOT, medicine for karl's lingering cough (almost gone!) is being taken - cough medicine with hydro-cod in it which makes the whole house restful, thank the lord. i love my husband but the restless nights awake were killing me. is that selfish? yea. probably. let's just say we are all happier he is getting better.

i have, of course, picked up a little of karl's illness. just a little. (i did wake up with my face in his pillow two mornings in a row - a normal every day practice while karl showers - an attempt to sleep just five more minutes!). the throat is sore and the ears are stuffed. so i am drinking oj and gargling salt water like a good girl. yum yum yum. and trying not to pass it back!

for some preggo fun: this link is a fun example of, well, how your organs shift during pregnancy. FREAKY. all i have to say is, can you imagine where they go when you have two or three or four at once? just sayin'. let me know if this link works for you; it seems to sometimes. there is a little bar you drag across to show growth. check those organs. http://www.pennhealth.com/health_info/pregnancy/9monthmiracle/tools/fetaltool.html

21 weeks, 6 days

je je je je je je

happy birthday to my sissy on the right. Isn't she beautiful? send her lots of warm bday wishes up north were the yankees call her a southerner and they wear shorts when it hits like 30.

you know you are pregnant when...

i woke up to this coversation b/w karl and the dog:

karl: roxy, you want to eat? what does roxy want for breakfast? does roxy want a steak slathered in peanut butter?
roxy: lick, lick, lick
me: (in my head) that sounds kind of good.

karl is prepping for the marathon. NEXT SUNDAY PEOPLE. he has the start of a cold or something - he has been in bed ALL DAY (which may be a first in our relationship!) so send good, rested and healthy thoughts his way. running with snot rockets is no fun.

apologies for only posting pictures of myself; i promise we still SEE PEOPLE and DO STUFF. i promise to have lots of pictures from karl running next weekend. ugh. i will get better!! i was updating our SPRING *yes, spring, go away cold weather* calendar and it is getting pretty full. which makes me happy. OUT OF HIBERNATION people.

couldn't really pick a picture this week so you get three. feeling brave enough to bare some skin... we'll see how long that lasts. i still feel great. no complaints. though the bloody noses are somewhat annoying. (another reason to wish winter away!)

the oscars are on and the 'once' stars are singing their song. love love love it. (the movie and the song!)

21 weeks, 2 days

It's 10 am and I just ate my lunch.

oops.

i switched doctors and had an appointment with the new doctor yesterday. i feel good about switching. also, which my other docs office failed to tell me in 21 weeks of pregnancy and multiple blood tests, that my blood is RH negative. (should i have known this? probably. i can't give blood b/c i generally puke or pass out, so i guess i don't really know anything about blood types, my own included. i feel d-u-m-b. if you are any (-) blood type, you are, in fact, rh (-). guess i wasn't paying attention in high school biology class. sorry sr. doreta...er, did i even take biology?) which means i have to get two shots (one at 28ish weeks and one at birth..ahem, in the, um, arse.). The docs office said only 13% of woman are, and I am one of them. Lucky me. Karl is positive so the baby is most likely positive as well... which is the problem. They say it's not a big deal...now anyway (used to be a bigger deal in the past before these shots were available).... i have been doing some research and it seems to not be a big deal... here is a link to some general info about it if you care. it doesn't affect my non-pregnant health. it is most important to get the shot this time so future pregnancies will not be affected. (not such a big deal for the first baby but without shot my body will develop antibodies that stay in there FOR-EVER and affect future pregnancies.)

blah. rockin', right? i still feel stupid for not knowing pre-pregnancy. all the reading and research... how did i miss it?!?! and why didn't doctor #1 mention it at all ever?

ono has graduated to papaya status. and karl felt him/her kick. twice.

happy weekend. i hope you have something more exciting planned than me.

21 weeks.

Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream

pregnancy makes me have fun dreams.

last night's dream: we were at a party or a wedding reception of some kind, dancing the night away (because karl and i dance so often). i went into labor. and i was like "i'll be right back, guys." and all the nameless, faceless friends in my dream were like "yea right. you can't do that." and i was determined to get back to the party (or, really, to prove them wrong). so i went to the hospital. and delivered a baby. drug free. and went back to party. no big deal.

ha. aparantly the nurses were left to babysit.

few weeks ago: i left my baby on a tarmac in his/her carrier in europe. like we could see the little car seat / carrier from the plane. my entire extended family was on this European vacation and we were traveling back to the US. i didn't realize i had forgot him/her until halfway over the ocean. everyone was like "oh (s)he's gone. for sure. but you can have another. no big deal."

ha. aparantly i left my child to be raised with some lucky europeans.

let's see.

few weeks ago: (also in europe, oddly enough. where in europe? i do not know. aparantly europe is a small place.) i left the baby at my grandparents house (in europe) on the way to my parents house (in europe). got to my parents, freaked out though the baby was safe, and ran next door *crying* to where beyonce lived with her four young children. beyonce was all "don't worry about - i leave my kids places all the time."

ha. aparantly my family can look forward to moving to europe together. with an international superstar.

moral of the story: karl should take me to europe. now. please.

oddly, or maybe appropriately since we mind neither sex, the baby is neither boy nor girl in my dreams.

20 weeks, 4 days

sunday night pictures

coach k. undefeated until saturday's heartbreaking two point loss. record stands at 8-1. three games to go.

things are quiet around the hills household.

happy birthday to my daddy-o.

20 weeks, 2 days

February Funk in Full Effect

ugh. it is here. i made it till the 15th - halfway through. not too shabby. now i am dying for shorts and flip flops and tank tops. i can't handle cold feet and heating bills ANYMORE. there, i said it. i know we are all trying to be positive about this month. i can't do it anymore!!

i also can't handle:

• not yet having one of my w-2s. supposedly lost in the mail. i just want to file taxes.
  
• just this week, having to actually pay my claim from LAST JUNE for a spider bite so st. john's clinic in tulsa won't report me. (months and months of my dear, patient husband calling and harassing - the INSURANCE COMPANY told us to go to st. johns (we checked b/c we were out of state). mother lovers. and now, more than 6 months later, they are supposedly going to reimburse us the money. riiiiiiiight. IT ISN'T ABOUT THE MONEY AHOLES. besides my prenatal visits, i haven't been to a doctor for illness and/or medicine in over two years. i don't think i went once in college. and i dutifully pay my stupid insurance. karmically, i shouldn't have to pay f$300 for some stupid doctor to look at me for two seconds and some stupid pills that i took ONE of and had a terrible reaction to and THAT DIDN'T EVEN HELP.
  
• having to finally switch to direct tv b/c comcast is NOT, in fact, comcastic in any way, shape, or form. (after months of crappy reception/picture... and comcast insisting nothing is wrong. multiple visits and signal checks were made. somehow it never worked right. and karl and i are not cable-challenged.)
  
• my dog ate my breakfast shake that karl made me this morning. (roxy; arlo would never do something like that)
  
• having to sleep on either my left side or right side. aparantly, i used to sleep on my back. but now it is uncomfortable. stomach sleeping is not so much an option. really, it would be fine if my hips didn't hurt. (small complaint; i am still sleeping fine and the hip pain is really not so terrible)
• wishing my husband could feel the baby moving. god forgive me for even thinking about complaning about it, but i really wish he could share that with me. (I KNOW - SOON!!!)
  
• having no motivation. it is saturday night and i haven't done a single thing today. laundry is important. which brings me to my next point...
  
• having NOTHING to wear. so tired of the same pants over and over and over again. want to wear skirts and shorts. (see intro paragraph).
  
• having to go watch a boxing match tonight. i love sports. boxing is just not one of them. i'm sorry jermain taylor. i still hope you win and i know all of arkansas supports you. however, i don't want to watch you get knocked out in slow motion high definition television over and over and over again like last time.
  
• not being able to work out. no, i can work out. scrap that. just not being able to go so high intensity. no, scrap that. just feeling myself slowing down in general is a little frustrating. it's the little things, really, like getting in and out of cars. just makes a girl want to rest.
  
• feeling like this on the weekend!!!
  

You get no pictures this post.

On a plus side, these things are all minor and karl and i have reached a milestone: WE ARE HALFWAY DONE BASTING THIS BABY!!

20 weeks, 1 day

have no mango, mango

this week's fruit is a mango. that is all. my friend mere mere loves mangos and baby ono may share a bday with mere.

first person to put HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY on their blog gets mercilessly made fun of by me.

thanks for all the baby pool guesses so far. link is on the sidebar. i will be updating the rest of the guesses in the morning!

what i have learned about pregnancy this week: pregnancy is an excuse to get your friends to eat where you want, when you want. everyone loves feeding a pregnant lady. i have had three chic-fil-a cookies and creams shakes in five days. and i like neither ice cream nor chocolate. go figure. STILL NO MEXICAN FOOD ALLOWED!! boo.

19 weeks, 5 days

belly pics for now, weekend pics later!

jackie was here. caitlin was here. jennifer lenore was here. brooke was here. sarah was here. it still seems surreal they were all here. in my house. and now are gone. it makes me sad we all live so far (well, relatively far). i feel like not enough time was captured together. however, i will take it and appreciate it and cherish it. i don't think we had all been together (ALL TOGETHER) since the seven-year itch party (celebrating seven years of friendship last year)? thankfully, jackie took pictures!! i can't believe i didn't. it makes me sad. i will steal some from her and post at a later date. mostly, we just hung out. and chatted. (and ate! well, some of us ate and drank.) it felt familiar. i liked it. old friends are great and i am happy we all keep in touch and make the effort. i got to hear lots of 'you totally look preggo' from people who are familiar with my body shape/size. plus, helps they got to see me in tanks and barebellied - we aren't so much a modest bunch. ono got lots of belly loving. i know some pregnant woman are sensitive about other people touching their bellies, but i say bring it on. i am open like that and want my baby to get lots of love from lots of friends and family. and even strangers. before he or she is born. so, if you feel the urge to give a little pat, go for it. i won't mind.

karl completed his 20 mile run on saturday morning! shorter runs and the countdown to the marathon begins!

today is my cousin bridget's birthday. i miss her dearly. if i didn't have to work, i would go spend a week with her to celebrate. :)

i am feeling very lovey dovey today. again, i wait till sunday night to post the belly pics so the weekend FOOOD has had a chance to settle in and make me look extra pregnant. don't think i will need this crutch much longer!

i think i am going to go ahead and open the baby pool. it is totally too early, but whatever.
unlimited guessing. (however, each guess = $1.)
HERE IS A LINK to the pool.
You can submit your guesses online. Um, not sure how it is going to work exactly with the gathering of the cash money. Just think about it. I will bring it to all my showers. I don't know. Suggestions? You can mail it to me? I will tally the total on the site so you know how much you might win! you can ask me any questions you would like before you submit your guess.

19 weeks, 2 days

for lent i have given up alcohol (and watermelons)

sweet potatoes, fat tuesday, super tuesday, tornadoes, ash wednesday, busy week at work, the girls coming this weekend, and, um, well, i am one happy preggo lady. which is great, since it is february and all. let's hope the rest of the month goes by quickly and happily. Crossing fingers.

karl and i voted. not a bit of a line at our polling place. maybe b/c the tornado sirens were going off at the time. super tuesday was super scary around here. (more so outside of central ar; we only saw a bad storm and lots of wind). Shockingly (not at all), Hilary and Huckabee took Arkansas. i still don't understand why florida and michigan have no dem delegates b/c they voted before Feb 5? and why some states have reduced delegates by half (on the rep side?). Additionally, Mardi Gras and tornados across the country kept people away from polls, i guess? do you think thats true? I am confused.

ANYWAY, today is ash wednesday. go get your ashes and let me know what you are giving up for lent. this year its for sure the sauce for me. (my mom said they always used to say watermelon b/c it was never in season. who eats watermelon in february?) No, but for real, I am going to give up: _________. Um, help?

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (as though elections and tornados and religious sacrifices were not important enough!) I FINALLY had a "stranger comment" about my pregnancy at the gym last night. (it was just a 'hey, i didn't know you were pregnant! you are pregnant, right?') YEA! does that make it official?

Here is what the nestbaby.com (this is where i get all my ridiculous food comparisons) has to say about the sweet potato week: "Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you - WHICH I BEG TO DIFFER; I TOTALLY WENT TO STEP CLASS LAST NIGHT), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon."

18 weeks, 5 days

Decision 08: Kat's Baby Pool

the famous green tank for belly pics comingatcha this monday morning. (or maybe you are viewing them sunday night or whenever depending on when you check blogs!) the first pic is normal; the second pic is how i feel today. i know it's ugly but i feel a little ugly. i may or may not have cried this evening for 45 minutes because we didn't have enough butter for dinner making.

still no "stranger comments", but i think i look bigger than prior pictures, right? i am sticking it out best i can for you. i did break down and buy some "nice" maternity pants for work - the two pairs i have (one jeans, one brown slacks) just weren't cutting it. alternating two bottoms for weeks is a little sad, so i bought a nice pair of black slacks and some gray pants. i spent way too much money (which makes me angry) but hopefully they will last me through july. pants shopping isn't fun for short girls (even us short girls with "long" legs!) preggo or not.

additionally, it may not garner the same coverage as the election, BUT you know you all want to participate. The Hills Baby Pool will officially open on Friday, Feb 15. (that will be my 20 week point which equals half way.) You will guess the following information: Sex, Date, Time. The rules will be: if you guess the sex wrong, you are out. The winner (who will TAKE ALL) will be the closest time and date with the correct sex. Bets will be $1. Karl and I are working on a fun tracking method (read: something techy/webby!). Guessing will be available via email, but no guess is official without your cash $. (i guess if i won't SEE you, you can send via snail mail; i don't think pay pal is worth it for one dollar.) Pool will be in attendance at all showers and parties from here until July (maybe June?!?!) so you have plenty of time to decide. I'm guessing Baby Hills will get about 100 guesses, so, really, it is a good payout. $1 for $100. then you can buy Baby Hills something real nice. (HA! Kidding, the money will be all yours.) Start your engines, you can put your early suggestions in comments, but official bets won't be taken until the 15th.

karl and i spent a quiet weekend at home. shocking. i, selfishly, will be glad when the marathon is OVER so we can have our saturdays back! we ate 'the italian couple' saturday evening and i must say, it was awesome. i know it got some crap reviews around town when it first opened, but it was YUM YUM YUM last night. and BUSY.

today, i am thankful to be feeling good - albeit a little over-emotional - and that the giants beat the stupid patriots. on to march madness i say. (much more exciting!)

18 weeks, 2 days