haha: 54 minutes

karl and i did a 5k this morning. he ran. i walked very slowly. you can see i am starting to look a little swolled. boo. hiss. i have nothing exciting to tell you. the end.

35 weeks, 1 day

baby pool update

So, here is THE POT O MONEY so far. karl and i have just updated.

just so you know SO FAR there is $55 solid CASH money set aside for the winner. in the jar. pictured above. not too bad for a $1 guess. additionally, there are 70 guesses, so if you haven't paid yet, well, you better, so you can win. (starred folks have paid on the pool). additionally, there is still plenty of time to guess. additionally, i will be bringing it to my work shower (june 10!) so there will, i'm sure, be a few more guesses added to the pot! i am guessing maybe about $100 total might go to the winner! gambling on unborn babes is FUN. please email me with any questions or if we put your guess on there incorrectly.

Clickety click: babypool guesses go here! do it!!!

my doctors appointment was cancelled on tuesday and not rescheduled until tomorrow afternoon. this is a cruel thing to do to a pregnant lady! i might even go as far to say i am looking forward to the increase in doctors appointments (weekly!) - if only to feel like we are making strides to THE END.

i am going to try and take some video of my belly jumping and post it. it's entertaining.

34 weeks, 5 days

warning: shield your eyes if pregnant women freak you out

dearest internet, i have no modesty. let's get up close and personal, shall we?

here you go!

week 34 is a cantaloupe. i think it could fit in there don't you? ;)

i have no news, really, we have been painting and taking it EASY this holiday weekend. it is nice. i feel like i MIGHT be recovered from the excitement of the past month. time to relax and sleep as much as possible in the HOME STRETCH, right? (seriously, how do women with kids DO pregnancy?!?)

(i know, my belly button looks ca-razy, right? it better go back in. i read somewhere some people's don't! ha! innies turned outies. surely there is some sort of secret society for that. and my "line" is all crooked letter. oh, and i am STILL lopsided which makes for some fun rib pain - guess the doctor was right about that one!)

still getting told i look 'small' by eighteen hundred people a day. mostly strangers who have no idea what i look like non-pregnant. at this point, i just roll my eyes. let me assure you that 25 pounds or so later, i do not feel SMALL in any way, shape, or form. i can't really exercise anymore... just walking... so i think that makes me feel bigger than any actual poundage ever could, you know? ah, well, whatever, it will go away! (you know one plus of pregnancy weight gain - NO BACK FAT! HA! ever. cause it all goes forward! hahaha! TAKE THAT back fat. see you in a few months. haha.)

Doctor appointment in the A.M.

34 weeks, 3 days

baby shower numero three

here are some PEEEEEEEEEECTURES from our trip to St. Louis - specifically the baby shower extravaganza. it was stressful; i am not going to lie. opening gifts is hard. i felt kind of like a gift hooker. just guilt about the overwhelming support. why guilt? i don't know. we just got so much awesome stuff. it was crazy. and we appreciate every single item and person who was there. again, it was crazy. nora nate shall not want for anything.

33 weeks, 6 days

going to the chapel horan clan style

congratulations to my cousin laura (and daughter maggie!) and new husband david! welcome to the family. the wedding and reception were beautiful - we did it up right: horan style.

from the top:
1. a mini-horan (haley) all tuckered out under her flowergirl dress.
2. big people horans (mike, tim, mark, peg, and chris - five out of the six horan brothers and sisters and some of their mid-sized horan children... i may qualify as mid-sized PLUS.
3. preggo lady on the dance floor! with sister and aunt chris. (to michael jackson's billie jean... we thought the 'kid is not my son' line was entertaining...)
4. a beautiful shot of a middle generation horan, grown-up girl drink in hand... when did my sister start drinking something other than BUSCH beer (head for the mountains)? ;)
5. another beautiful shot of some middles... i couldn't resist posting. jennifer and elizabeth.
6. another mini horan (maura catherine!) AND this one with blue eyes and red hair to boot - a gorgeous hunk of baby.
7. the new mr. and mrs.

baby is getting good genes, eh?

shower pictures and updates tomorrow. had an appointment with my doula today. all is good. we found that heartbeat lickety split and in just the right place. i can't wait for labor. ;)

33 weeks, 5 days

la la land

we are back in town!

i, kathleen ann bridget horan hills, do hereby and hereon solemly swear to make one post per day to catch you up on the images and recent happenings. (and belly pics and fruit!) our trip to St. Louis was AMAZING and overwhelming.

for now, this picture of me and my a-dorable seeeester will have to suffice.

also, i would like to say, that karma-wise, i SHOULD NOT have been all braggy braggy about that whole 'non-swelling' thing. we left for STL on friday after work and i sure was a huge, puffed up version of myself by the time we got there - a kajillion hours later - quite possibly the most miserable experience of the whole pregnancy thus far. ha. there may have been some tears shed. it was so uncomfortable - we finally pulled over and i just LAID OUT in the back seat. swolled up. fo sure. that will be THE LAST of traveling for this girl.

more updates to follow.

33 weeks, 4 days (can it really be about 6 weeks away!?)

i live in a pineapple under the sea

HERE is my fruity fruit for this week and this is what it says: Your baby is proportioned like a pineapple when it comes to weight -- a little over 4 pounds. (Length: more than 17 inches, head to heel.)

YUM. REAL pineapple makes this baby GO CRAZY on the inside - all that natural sugar (sugar high!).

let's see? what else do i have to tell you!?!

I hosted an impromptu ANTM (america's next top model) watch PARTY at my house last night (SPOILER ALERT!). there was a lot of SCREAMING (and some HAPPY DANCING) by the six girls in my living room (everyone was a big fan of the winner but me!). AND, although i think the winner is kind of, well, a FLOOZY AND that they KIND OF picked her as a 'cause' (to promote plus sized women - she was like a size 8! enormous, right? ha!), i am glad she won. and i don't deny she is absolutely gorgeous and her pics are as well. she deserved it. AND it was a GREAT finale and restored my faith in the hilarity of ANTM. (i know you were worried!!) (also, paulina might be taking the place of twiggy in my heart as a judge.)

what else?

i was attacked by a bird. two mornings in a row. same tree. same bird. it's little. like a mocking bird or something. i screamed like a little girl both times. the second day it TOUCHED my arm so i had to wash my arm in the bathroom for like two hours. AND today THREE guys at work that walk the same way i do from the lot admitted they have also been attacked, so it's not just me and a case of the crazies.

what else?

we start SEASON THREE of LOST tonight. get jealous. (i know all you addicts will be watching tonight and you best not be blogging tooooo in depth about it! and if you do, that's cool too, i will just close my eyes.)

what else?

tomorrow is FRIDAY! we are thinking about kenneling the dogs and heading up north. to yankee land. see you there?

32 weeks, 6 days

dear ole doc

just wanted to update you on the DREADED yet MUCH ANTICIPATED doctors appointment.

it went well.

there are three doctors in the clinic i visit so today i got to meet with another - he is a sweet man who said i have great ankles! (the highest compliment for pregnant women as 'great ankles' means no swelling!). He is also the on call doctor the weekend of july 4 when the other two docs will be out of town, so, IF i am on time(ish), he will be my delivery doc. (not that i am going to need him to do much but catch that baby and hand him over all bloody and fluid covered! HA!)

my blood pressure remains the same, heartbeat was about the same, head is DOWN down down and not likely to change, um, what else do you want to know? i gained six pounds since last month (eek! the scale continues to climb into uncharted territory!) these appointments are pretty boring (thankfully!) and will now increase in frequency. HE DID SAY he was a little worried about my ribs - they are already pushing out and he seems to think this could get pretty painful for me since i have no more room at the inn. who knew each rib in your rib cage has nerve endings? so far it has not been painful and maybe baby will "drop" early and i won't have too much pain (they can't do anything for it, but suggest resting. HA!).

anyway that is all i have to report. do all you mamas out there laugh at my silly posts? am i obsessing too much? it is somewhat difficult to think about much else!

32 weeks, 4 days

tulsa time

some pics from ASLUT university. er, TULSA. yep, tulsa spells aslut backwards. just so you know. ;)

jenny and brooke hosted a beautiful shower on a gorgeous day. absolutely loverly. nora nate loved it. karl and i felt overwhelmed by the support.

pics above. slings and strollers and spoiling. oh my. :)

32 weeks, 3 days

what IS a jicama? seriously!?!

how do you even pronounce that? what does one taste like? OH GOD I JUST GOOGLED IT and it said the word MEXICAN and there were pictures WITH CHILI POWDER. gag. vomit. yea, that is right, i haven't had mexican food since november. not one single serving of chips and queso. no guac, no tortillas, no rice, no beans, gag, gag, ok, i can't talk about it anymore. *i start picturing shredded lettuce mixing with beef and i TRY to imagine biting into it but it sends me over the edge (in a gagging kind of way)! dear god please let my mexican eating habits return. it would make karl so happy.

other than that, i haven't had many food issues while pregnant. i did go on that cookies and cream shake kick/binge - only from chic-fil-a - but that only lasted about three weeks... only odd for me b/c i rarely eat ice cream or chocolate. hmm. that sounds good right now. do you think i could pull 'the pregnant card' and make karl get me one? i so rarely use THE PREGNANT CARD! (i am saving it for the last month when getting off the couch might be more difficult!)

i had a bit of a break down last night. feeling simultaneously tired and restless. didn't sleep much last night. staring to feel a bit of 'the waiting game' beginning. it's just a strange time - there is still two months to go, i still feel great, but wonder if i should feel worse? SERIOUSLY. these are the things i am anxious about! being preggo KINDA consumes your brain no matter how fabulous you feel. (see the last few months of blog posting!). Work is WEIRD. plans about WORK AFTER BABY are weird. our company retreat is this week. usually i am excited about it but this year i feel anxious about leaving home/wanting to stay close to my husband (usually i feel fine leaving him for a few days, but i have been SUPER NEEDY with wanting him to be around lately. i have been weepy on and off. in the shower. watching the celtics game. reading a nice email from a client at work. realizing i put a doggie towel in with my delicates. fixing dinner. (you know, all normal times to burst into tears.) I also have been EXTREMELY unproductive in a number of things. also feeling a little bi-polar about upcoming doctor visits - i waver b/w wanting to go desperately RIGHT NOW and terrified something is going to be wrong (or not even go wrong, but they are going to tell me i am doing something drastically unhealthy and make me all nervous!). i think i MAY be having some contractions - who knows!? WHEN IS IT GOING TO START HURTING? (am i seriously asking for some pain? um, serious be-careful-what-you-wish-for moment happening here!!! RIGHT?) it's official. i have lost my mind.

and now you know more than you probably wanted to about my state of mind. thanks for reading! i AM fine... just having a somewhat EMOTIONAL WEEK. hope you don't mind me sharing.

31 weeks, 4 days (the jicama is week 32 fruit! not sure of my posting abilities for the rest of the week. btw week 31 was FOUR naval oranges. FOUR. that's about 3 and 1/2 pounds of oranges.)

weddings, bdays, and belly pics

EXTREME BELLY close up. just for you. i think it's gotten a little larger in the last week or so. people still say "you're belly is still so small" or "you must be having a little baby" at least twice a day. maybe more. i think i have realized nobody is ever really happy with "the size of a pregnant lady" ... or they just love to comment... it's either 'you're too big' or you're to small...*never you look like you are measuring right on OR your baby will be big/little/have three heads *never just normal baby size OR the baby is going to early/late *never right on time. whatever. i like to talk about it, so i don't really care what you say if it gives me an opening! haha!

friday night we attended liza and her new husband coby's wedding & reception. simple and gorgeous. i just love a good wedding. kristen, leah, and elizabeth came over and we stayed up until 1 in the A.M. playing around and playing guitar hero. it was kind of awesome. some much-needed friend time.

today (sunday) is my birthday. my last birthday without child (well, outside the womb). we didn't do a whole lot - karl and melissa and elizabeth and i saw BABY MAMA at the movies. (who knew movie seats were so freaking UNCOMFORTABLE!) movie was hilarious. however, the baby does not like my birthday. i MAY have taken a break from healthy eating for the day and gorged myself on cinnamon rolls (breakfast), dinner pizza (skeezers) and movie theater popcorn and soda (2). oops. sorry nora nate. that is just disgusting.

this baby mama is going to now force my husband to watch the cardinals cubs game with me and go to bed! thanks for all the phone calls and texts and emails and messages. love you all.

31 weeks, 2 days

who wants to pole dance?!?!?!

MAY DAY MAY DAY! the may pole dance, may crowning (catholic celebration of crowning Mary), celebration of laborers in some countries - what the heck do you think of when you think of MAY?

i can't believe it is May. I feel like I was in Mexico just yesterday. (um, yea, November. and I miss it.) life has been busy catching up to me lately and knocking me down! I have been feeling a little whelmed.

it's cool though. my dear friend and co-worker alissa just brought me hardees hashbrowns for breakfast so all is right with the world for the moment. (yum yum yum. i am desperately hungry today!)

let's see. i don't even have a synopsis really of the "going ons" in the Hills Household. Karl has been working an insane amount of hours, we had some family in town (his), jenny was here for work, ANTM hung a black cloud over my head last night (thanks a lot tyra!).

i go to the doc in two weeks (little less) and then i start going ALL THE TIME. my boss seems to forget that July 4 is at the BEGINNING OF THE MONTH and i could quite possibly start my leave in June. Or, you know, just take some half days because i am tired from growing a person. I still hold strong to my "i want to work as long as i can" statement and I might even be OVERDUE, HOWEVER june is looking like a busy month at work and I refuse to get stressed out about it. I am BUILDING THE BUBBLE NOW!

so, what do we think about the name Nate? Not Nathan, Not Nathaniel. Just Nate. Hm. Sometimes I tell Karl he has until 5 p.m. (or one hour or whatever time constraint i put on him at the moment) to choose a name for our child if it is a boy. He usually comes back with something a little ridiculous for us (I believe Bernard was maybe the last one). Yesterday we said Grant. Today Nate. Hayes and Eliot are still in the lineup. Boy names suck. PREEEETY sure our girl names are narrowed to Bridget Kathleen and Nora Kate.

(But please don't be surprised if she comes out and we name her Tammy. And she is smoking cigarettes & guzzling beer on day 2. sorry if you know anyone named Tammy, I am sure they are very nice, but that name does give me that IMAGE!)

30 weeks, 6 days