He's Finally Here!!

Dominik Rowan Applegate born December 11th 2009, 11:53pm. 9 lbs 1 oz. 21.5 inches. More pictures and updates will follow! We are just loving being home and hanging out as a family!
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Waiting Game...

So I consider myself a fairly patient person, but these last couple of weeks are killing me! I keep getting more and more anxious the closer and closer we get to my due date! I was the most uncomfortable last night. I was extremely exhausted, so I headed to bed around 8:30 pm. Well I could NOT for the life of me get comfortable! I was tossing and turning and to make matters worse a HUGE monsoon came up and started pounding rain on the windows and the wind was howling and shaking the house. I seriously thought we were going to blow away! Bruce came in right after that started and he saw how upset I was that I couldn't get comfortable--I'm thinking it was mild contractions-- so he massaged my back, and talked me through some breathing exercises (he DID pay attention during class! haha). He then got up, got me some water, and an ice pack for my back. He was soooooo sweet and I totally appreciate it. After all of that was done, he laid with me and held the ice pack on my back until I fell asleep. I was debating about whether or not to go to work today, and I decided that one more day couldn't hurt, so here I am. No pain like I was feeling last night, but hopefully that pain moved BBA along in the birth process! Dr. Appt tomorrow and hopefully news on how soon this little guy will arrive in this big world!

Top 10 Things I have enjoyed while being preggo...

So here we are almost at the end. I guess I should put up my top 10 things I enjoyed while being pregnant. Here we go! 10. Not having to lift heavy things. Not that I do this a lot, but it got me out of helping Bruce move some stuff and also do things at work. It was kind of nice to just sit back, relax, and watch others get sweaty! 9. Getting a new wardrobe. Granted they are maternity clothes, but I was actually able to find some really cute stuff at great prices. Thank you JC Penney for having an awesome maternity clearance section! 8. Getting Bruce to massage my back/legs/etc. This is a very rare occasion that he does this, but I have been able to squeeze a couple more out of him in the past 9 months. 7. Missing work for doctor appointments. Not that doctor appointments are fun, but missing work/leaving early is always a bonus, I don’t care who you are! 6. Feeling BBA move around. This is really cool, and I love experiencing this with Bruce, especially these last few months when movement has been really strong. Bruce loves to “play” with his kid, he gets to feel “little kid feet” and “little kid butt.” Sometimes he’ll even fist bump him. I think it’s really sweet. 5. Hugs. Probably within the first month of pregnancy, I was reading one of my books and the “Dad Tip” was to be sure to give your wife lots of hugs, because pregnant people need lots of hugs. Now Bruce didn’t really retain any of the other “Dad Tips” but he sure does remember this one! I do get a lot of extra hugs and he’ll hug me and tell me that he loves me and that pregnant people need lots of hugs. 4. Watching all of my friends have babies before me. Most people would probably hate this experience, but I love it! I know about 10 people who have had babies in the past 5 months, so I definitely know who to call with any questions/concerns/etc. 3. Nesting. My house is definitely A LOT cleaner and I have a TON of banana bread, pumpkin bread, etc, etc made. If you want some, come on over :) 2. Strong fingernails. Mine weren’t exactly weak before, but I am definitely able to grow them out longer. And if any of you know me, I usually always have them painted. And my mom always said I did such a good job, that I could probably have a fall back career as a nail tech. I think I’ll pass on the nail tech thing, but I can’t quit my obsession with O.P.I. 1. The unexpected. It is such a scary time, but such an exciting time too! I can’t wait to see what this little guy has in store for us!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

So I have been slacking lately, but for good reason. I've been terribly exhausted and I'm trying to close thing up at work. Good news though BBA is coming around quite nicely. At my Dr appt. this week I was 3cm dilated and 60% effaced. Now I know I could stay that way for a while, but it is also a progression from the last time I was measured! All we do now is wait :)
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Mom and Dad's visit to AZ

Well the parentals were back again, this time to help get ready for BBA. We had quite the busy weekend while they were here:

Thursday: Pedi's with mom, Dr. Appointment--They checked for dilation and effacement, I was 2 cm dilated, and my cervix was thinning. The head was still up pretty high. Let's hope for some progress this week! Shopping for golf clubs (dad bought a set in a box, he was so ashamed of himself, couldn't believed he stooped that "low" haha), went to Omaha Steaks and got our freezer all stocked up! Thanks for the discount Dad! Took mom and dad on their first visit to BevMo, probably the greatest place on earth, they now want to open one in NE. Made dinner at home.

Friday: Bummed around all morning, took mom and dad to In & Out Burger, went to the beer supply store, went to Trader Joe's so mom could get this seasoning that she likes, Bruce and Dad brewed beer, Mom and I went to Babies R Us and Walmart, went to Raul y Theresa's for dinner.

Saturday: Bruce and Dad golfed, Mom & I had my AZ baby shower, went to the Coyotes hockey game.

Sunday: Mom and dad got all packed up, we all went to the Cardinals game, left the Cardinals game early to make it to the airport so mom and dad could make their flight!

Whew! I am exhausted. And like Bruce says, he needs a vacation from the vacation.

The baby shower was great, thanks to Jamie, Karin, and Angela who helped get everything organized. We are definitely stocked up on everything now, just a couple more things to purchase and we'll be set! I can't believe he'll actually be here in such a short time!

Ding! He's done

So I've officially grown overnight. Bruce and I were looking at my stomach last night and then we looked at it again today to find a HUGE difference! My bellybutton has officially "popped." Does this mean BBA is on his way to making an appearance? Bruce sure thinks so. He thinks that it is crazy that my bellybutton would actually pop out (I told him it would). Silly boy. Unfortunatly I will NOT be posting any pictures of my bellybutton due to my sweet stretch marks that have appeared near my belly button area. My baby shower is next week so as long as BBA stays put until then I'll be a happy camper!

Locked, Loaded, and ready for BBA

The car seat is officially installed and I'm a crazy lady driving around with an empty car seat! Haha. We figured we would rather be prepared for BBA a month early (just in case!) Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Welcome November and Stretch Marks

Happy November to everyone! I woke up this morning, feeling great, I even made a breakfast casserole for Bruce and I! After breakfast I did my normal Sunday routine, read the paper and then go shower. Bruce wanted to leave the house by 11 for some errands so I had to make this shower snappy. So I head to the bathroom and get ready to hop in the shower. I always check out my belly in the mirror (partially because it's cool looking and partially because I really can't see the whole thing without looking in the mirror. ). So today I got a nice surprise with some stretch marks around my belly button! UGH!!!! Seriously? I've made it this far why do they have to come now? And I love that they magically appeared overnight because I definitely would have noticed them when I changed into my PJs last night. Well on the bright side, I guess this means BBA is growing or on the downside I'm eating too much. Haha. I'm pretty sure its the first. Welcome to motherhood.
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Happy Halloween!!

Here are some pics from Halloween this year. I was able to dress up at work on Friday, so that was fun. Bruce and I are just staying at home tonight handing out candy. BBA will be here in 6 weeks (or less, hopefully!)

My pumpkin

Bruce with his drill and pumpkin

Bruce's pumpkin me and my "bun in the oven"

updates galore!

I had quite the busy week despite Bruce being in Omaha for work. Wednesday evening I had child birth prep class and my friend Jamie was the lucky one I got to take instead of Bruce! We watched some videos, looked at some items that help break your water, a catheter, an IV bag, and a bunch of other things. It was like show and tell :) After our show and tell session, we went on the hospital tour. I wasn't too thrilled that Bruce was out of town for work this week since the hospital tour is probably one of the most important things, but we had actually been there before when our friends Nik and Melissa had their daughter Savannah. Now the key part is to see if Bruce actually remembers anything about when we visited them....that is yet to be determined. So Jamie and I trek along with our group touring the hospital. We saw where you register/check in (I've already pre-registered for delivery, so that should save us....oh 15 minutes or so). We saw the area where you go first to make sure you are actually in labor which was kind of a strange area, behind a bunch of closed doors. Oh well, hopefully I won't be spending too much time in there. From that room, we went to the labor and delivery suites. Yes suites. These rooms were HUGE! Granted, everything does take place in there and there has to be enough room for everyone, but still. They have a couch/futon thing that turns into a bed for Bruce. And they also have, 40" (I'm guessing) flat screen tvs. Pretty fancy shmancy. Everything was nice and clean and not hospital like at all. From there, we went upstairs to the nursery. The nursery isn't very large because they encourage "rooming in" so your baby will be with you the whole entire time. After the nursery we went to the post partum suites. These were exactly like the labor and delivery suites, just a bit smaller and less equipment in them. It was a good tour and we are going to try and see if our instructor can do a quick overview of one this week so Bruce can check everything out. On Thursday I had a dr. appt. I met with Dr. James. He was kind of strange and I'm glad I didn't choose him as my OB. But for all of those worrying about H1N1 out there, I DID get my vaccine at that appt. So hopefully I should be good now. I've had both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 shot. If I get sick, I will be royally pissed off! haha. On Friday, Bruce came home. It was good to see him after being gone a week. We bottle beer and then went out to eat and then watched a movie. It was a nice little date night before he had to get back to working his 12+ hour shifts. Oh and our friends Anika and John had their baby boy! Congrats to them. Now it's getting me very excited for when it is our turn! Yesterday, I was quite the busy girl. Waking up early, I made pumpkin muffins/mini loaves/regular loaves. Take your pick, I have them all! I bought a can of pumpkin, well the large can and didn't have a recipe for the bread yet, so when I found a recipe, I was able to make it 1 1/2 times! Thank goodness I can freeze them. I was also being crafty yesterday. I finished my Halloween costume. Pictures will be posted after Halloween, I want it to be a surprise. I also made a hat/coat rack for BBA, it's super cute, now I just have to get Bruce to hang it up. Now on to today. Well I slept like crap. I hate being able to only sleep on my sides. My hips are starting to ache and it is just plain hard for me to find a comfortable position. Grrrrr. So I was up early, and ran to Wal-Mart. I've decided that my "nesting" thing is kicking in because I bought more baby hangers (so I could get rid of the crappy plastic ones that the clothes come on). I bought some special laundry detergent for babies. I went with All Free and Clear. I read this is actually supposed to be better for the baby than the Dreft that everyone advertises. I figured I would give it a try. Plus then I can just use it for all of our clothes too! I also picked up some less glorious item for my hospital "to go" bag. I bought some "crappy" (and by crappy I mean not Victoria's Secret) undies since word on the street is that you'll ruin a few pairs and why would I want to ruin my nice ones that I already have?? I also picked up some nightgowns...moomoos if you will. hahaha. No they aren't that bad, but they do have a few buttons at the top so it will be easier to breast feed in the hospital, plus who wants to wear a hospital gown anyways? So I grabbed two. I'm not really attached to them so it will be ok if they get ruined for some reason. After my trip to Walmart, I came home and the nesting has really begun. I've decided to start washing all of the baby clothes/towels/etc. So I snagged everything out of the closet and dumped it on the living room floor. I am being a good mom and I read every label and sorted the clothes into piles depending on how they need to be washed. I came up with 4 piles. Lights-wash warm, Darks-wash warm, Lights-wash cold, Darks-wash cold. I also had to sit and snip off all of the price tags too. So now I'm just sitting here waiting for the laundry to get done so I can then go back and hang everything up. But this time it will be ready for BBA! Going to try and snag a quick nappy. I'm tired.....

Half Cankles?!?!?!

**DISCLAIMER: This photo is NOT my cankles. I thought it was just a funny picture. My Mom actually thought that my legs were that disgusting. Thanks Mom. I love you. :) ** So we had our child birth prep class #2 last night, and afterwards we came home and I was sitting on the floor stretching as we started a movie (The Proposal--if anyone cares). So there I was stretching and reaching for my toes, when--AUGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!! Where did the inside part of my ankles go????? Sure enough the insides of my ankles have disappeared and are nice and puffy, slowly turning into the dreaded CANKLES! The outsides of my ankles are nice and bony like they should be. So I've come up with the term half cankles. I've slowly come to terms with my situation this morning. At least the part of my ankles that people see the most are still normal. I asked Bruce if he still loved me because my ankles were fat and puffy. He replied, "I will always love you, your ankles don't matter." Good answer Bruce. Good Answer.

Week 31-Belly Update

So we're officially in the less than 10 weeks category with BBA. It's very exciting. He's still moving around a ton, which is still crazy feeling. He's most active in the evenings, and before I go to bed, so he better figure out his days and nights before he comes out otherwise we're in trouble! haha. I had a doctor's appointment this week. Everything was great as always, and I can't be more blessed to have had such an easy time so far!

We also started our child birth prep classes. They are every Wednesday for the month of October. It will definitely go fast! It's a fairly small class with only 8 couples. And 6 of us are having boys!!! Craziness. Wednesday's class was really cheesy. That's the only word that I can use to describe it. We worked on our breathing skills and different relaxation techniques. We were told we had to work on them at home, but I highly doubt Bruce will want to sit down and say soothing words to me and rub my back every night! haha. I can dream can't I?

Well I haven't posted a belly pic in a while, so here's an update--31 weeks:

Top 10 things I strongly dislike about being pregnant

So I'm bored and decided to make a list. Don't worry, the Top 10 things I enjoy about being pregnant will follow shortly.

10. Having this baby bulge get in the way of things such as leaning into the washing machine to get the clothes out. Umm hello, I need to do laundry, and we all know that Bruce isn't going to take that chore over!

9. Being super hungry, and then over eat, forgetting that there is not a lot of room in there any more. This happens more often than not, and I always tell myself to stop, but sometimes the food is just too delicious. The overeating then causes me to lie on the couch uncomfortable for hours. Damn food.

8. Realizing that your clothes don't fit. Now I know that this is a normal part of pregnancy, but I've been very fortunate to not have to buy a lot of maternity clothes--thank you flowy tops that are in style! But when the wardrobe is limited already and you really want to wear something, only to find out that it doesn't fit, is slightly disappointing.

7. Charlie Horses. I've only had about a handful, but these are extremely painful. It always happens in my right leg, and usually occurs about 2 hours before my alarm goes off (ahh perfect timing). So once they happen, I can't seem to go back to sleep, causing me to be in a bad mood.

6. Doctors appointments. Yes I know it is fun because we get to hear the heartbeat, and the doctor checks on other various things. But seriously??? I always have to leave work early to get to the appointment (not a bad thing--leaving work early). Make sure I get there at least 15 minutes early (I am a good patient, because if you are late, they reserve the right to cancel your appointment and I am NOT about to let that happen). Then wait around PAST your scheduled appt time because the doc is running behind. Then once you are in the exam room, the doc chats with you for maybe, MAYBE 10 minutes and then it's all over. Wow, that was the best half hour of my afternoon. haha. It wasn't such a big deal when my appointments were once a month, but now that they are every other week, it's starting to get on my nerves.

5. Strategically planning my fluid intake to prevent too many bathroom trips. This was a huge deal on my last plane ride to Omaha. I stopped drinking water once I got to the airport and then only drank the one beverage they gave us on the plane. I sure as heck didn't need any more fluid in my bladder, especially when I was going to be on a plane for 2 hours.

4. Strategically planning trips to the bathroom possibly caused by unstrategic fluid intake. This coincides with #5. On that same trip, I went to the bathroom when I arrived at the airport. Went to my gate, hung out, went to the bathroom one more time about 30 minutes before our scheduled take off--just to make sure the bladder was extra empty! Like I said above, I only had the one drink on the plane, but as much as I hated to do it, I HAD to use the airplane restroom. Totally sucky, but there was no way this bladder was going to make it all the way to Omaha. Other ways I plan my bathroom trips? I always go at least twice before leaving the house, and if running errands, know where a semi-clean bathroom is at all times. If there isn't one available, the errand needs to be no more than 1 hour. Otherwise I might explode.

3. Wishing family was closer. This is a really cool time in our lives and I wish I could share it more often. One reason, it is the first grandchild on my side. So it's kind of a big deal. :) Another, Bruce's sister is pregnant (due within 2 days of me), so if she and her hubby were closer, that would be very cool to experience things with her. But luckily, about 80% of my friends down here seemed to get pregnant at/around the same time, so there has been quite the baby boom from July-December. I am very grateful for that because that means lots of friends for our new little babies!

2. Waking Bruce up everytime I go to the bathroom at night. I know I can't help getting up to pee, and I don't wake him up on purpose, he is just a really light sleeper. The worst is when I get up 3+ times per night. It sucks even more when I know his alarm is going to go off in about 45 minutes, but I really have to pee and can't hold it. Poor guy. He is truly a saint for still sleeping in the same bed as me!

1. Being asked how I am feeling. Well, I'm still alive, so one point for me. If I have a smile on my face add another point. If I'm up and walking, add another. You get the picture. If I was feeling terrible, I guarantee people would know. Luckily, I've felt really good this entire pregnancy besides the occasional tiredness. So if you ask me how I'm feeling, don't be surprised if you get the most sarcastic remark ever.

Bedding is washed and ready for BBA!

With some gift cards from my shower, we were able to purchase the bedding! I love it!
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Nebraska Baby Shower!

So my the last item on my "to-do" list in Nebraska was to attend my baby shower. It was at my mom and dad's and we had a great time. Rachel and Michaela hosted it, but unfortunately Michaela wasn't there due to her soccer game. I was able to see a lot of my family and friends, which meant a lot to me, because I really don't know the next time I'll be back in Nebraska. So I guess that means everyone gets to visit me now! haha. Everyone was very generous with their gifts and I only had to pack one extra suitcase full of gifts back home with me! We played some games and ate some great food. Here are a few pic from my camera, Rachel has more on her camera from the shower, mine were just before anyone got there!

Diaper cake, made by...I wonder who?

Rubber duckies!

The present area, before everyone arrived

Grandma getting ice cream ready for the punch

Me and Rach, with her creepy "prom" pose she insists on doing. haha

The six pack minus one-Allison, Andrea, me, Laura, Kellie, with hands on the belly of course!

Lindsay and Nate's wedding

Part of the reason I was back in Nebraska was for Lindsay's wedding. It was so nice that everything was in Plattsmouth, so I enjoyed the maximum 5 minute drive to where ever the heck I was going! Much different than my 40-50 minute commute each day!! It was great to see everyone again, and even was able to catch up with some grade school friends that I haven't seen in a while! My favorite part of the evening was when Kellie's fiance Brent auctioned off the garter. He is an auctioneer and I've never heard him before. it was pretty amazing! The bride was beautiful and the groom handsome. It's crazy to think that almost all of my friends are now married! Especially since I was the first one, oh so many years ago...not really, just 2.5. haha. Here are some pics from the day--I chose to do everything in black and white, just to mix it up a bit:

Hair is all done!

Personal attendants: Laura, Allison, Andrea, Kellie and I

Lindsay and Nate leaving the church cutting the cake

Golfing with Austin

My first day back in Nebraska, I was able to kick back, relax and go golfing with my brother. We played the Plattsmouth Country Club, and had a good time!

New Movements and our (last) trip to Nebraska--for a while at least

So BBA's newest movement has been slightly annoying. He will take whatever body part (I still can't figure out what is what) I'm assuming it's his butt or head or something, and he'll stretch it out and then hold it there. So I'll have a hard spot on my tummy for about 5 seconds. It's really kind of funny when I feel it. It makes me laugh and wonder what the heck is really going on in there! I am also leaving for NE today for Lindsay and Nate's wedding. This will sadly be my last trip to NE for quite a while, as BBA will put a damper on our traveling for the next year or so. I'm very excited to see everyone and it will for sure be an exhausting weekend! Rehearsal dinner and decorating Friday, Wedding Saturday and Baby Shower on Sunday! Aye yi yi! Thank goodness i decided to take Monday off too! Unfortunately Bruce won't be able to make the trip with us. He's pretty bummed that we're leaving him, especially since I'm taking the kid with me! haha. He said that I could just leave the kid with him because Friday is "Take Your Premature Child to Work Day." Wow. Did he really just say that? Yes, yes he did. Funny yet wrong at the same time. Good Ol' Bruce, never ceases to amaze me! Well more posting will for sure take place next week after I recover from all of the festivities!

The Crib!

We got the crib the other day and it's all ready to go!
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Busy Busy Doctor Appointment

Last Thursday I had my monthly check up. I had my 1 hour glucose test. This is a "fun" test. Just kidding. I had to show up about 30 minutes early to drink this sugary orange substance. I was warned that it might be terrible. But it tasted like a flat Orange Fanta. I had to drink that in 5 minutes. Piece of cake. Then I had to sit and wait until I had my actual appointment. AND I couldn't drink anything! I was getting pretty thirsty. So Bruce shows up and they call my name to take me in. Everything is normal, measuring right on target. Now we just have to register for a hospital tour and birthing classes! Yay! And before the doc let me go, she was like oh by the way, we're going to do your RhoGAM shot today too! Wha-What? unexpected shot? Not cool doc. Not cool. So I had to go back and sit to wait to get my blood drawn from my glucose test and they also pulled 2 other viles of blood as well. Then I had to go back and wait about 15 more minutes before someone could give me my RhoGAM shot. That kind of hurt! It went into my hip and it was really thick and they had to go slow. Not fun, and guess what? I get to do it again when the baby comes! So I got my results back on Friday afternoon. Glucose test was normal--no gestational diabetes!! Thank goodness! I don't think I would be able to get rid of the sweets! My iron levels were low though. Lower than they were in the beginning! So now I have to "up" my dosage to 3x a day instead of 2x. Not a big deal, but this kid is seriously sucking everything out of me! haha. I'm getting ready to head to Nebraska in 9 days for Lindsay's wedding and my baby shower! I can't wait to catch up with my few friends that still live there!

The First Cardinals HOME Game of the Season

This was actually quite a few weeks ago, but just now adding pics. We went with our good friends Jamie and Andy. Bruce and Andy work together so Jamie and I have become really close. It was a good time, even though no drinking for me :(

Bruce and I in front of the stadium

Andy, Jamie, Me, and Bruce

Announcing the team

Opening drive, Go Cards!

'Twas a hot summer day

So today began like any normal Sunday. Get up, eat breakfast, read the paper, lounge around. Well while we were lounging, something exciting happened. Bruce and I were sitting on the couch together, snuggling if you will, watching track and field, and then some beach volleyball. His hand was on my tummy and all of a sudden, Bruce was like "Whoa, what just happened?" Well the baby kicked, punched, or head-butted my stomach. So Bruce was finally able to feel the baby move. And it was a strong kick/punch/whatever and Bruce asked if that is what it feels like all of the time, I said usually, but sometimes I'm lucky and it's just a little one :) So needless to say it was a good start to our Sunday. Around noon, I decided that it was time to get up and go to the grocery store. After groceries, I return to the house. Bruce helps me unload the groceries, and we're back in the house going about our business, when Bruce walks down the hall and looks at the thermostat. Duh Duh Duh. It's set for 78 degrees, but it says the temp is 82. Not what a preggo girl in AZ wants to hear, especially since it was probably right around 110 or so today. So we get out our stash of service numbers that the builder gave us. Bruce gives Sonoran Air a call and receives the message that "we're calling after business hours, if this is an emergency, please press 1." Duh, this is an emergency! Next he hears "Our emergency service hours are as follows....Sundays 8 am - noon." Oh great, just our luck, it's 1:30 pm. And why do they get to decide that emergencies only occur between 8 and 12 on sundays????? Next Bruce is prompted to leave a message, so he does. It also gives him the option to page someone, he does. By this time, the temperature is about 84 degrees. I'm starting to get worried. So we turn all the ceiling fans on in the house. Thank goodness we have tile! It helps keep the house just a bit cooler than carpet! So here we are sitting around waiting for Sonoran Air to call back. We closely monitor the temperature every hour on the hour. It's weird because it still feels like there is cold air coming from the vents. But the temperature we have the thermostat set for isn't anywhere close to the actual temp it's giving us. Well, the highest it ever got was 84 degrees. It started going down about 1 degree every hour. We still hadn't received a phone call from Sonoran Air. I chill--well try to--on the couch, then around 6, start to make dinner. The temp was back down to 80. And as of right now, it's a comfortable 77 :) We still don't know what is wrong with it, but hopefully Bruce will get a call from Sonoran Air in the morning and we can schedule a service appointment for tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest. Whew! That was close. Thank goodness it's actually "supposed" to cool down a bit this week. I would just take anything in double digits, thanks.

Learning from Chuck Norris...

So BBA--Baby Boy Applegate--is starting to make his move. I feel him kick most between 10 am and 12 pm. Probably telling me to go eat.

I thought this pretty much sums up what BBA is thinking. Bruce has yet to feel a kick, and he doesn't believe me that I've actually seen my stomach move. Which is very creepy by the way! :)

These boots were made for walking

Not really boots per se. I really don't think boots are very comfortable to walk in. Last night Bruce and I began taking (hopefully) nightly walks. We've been semi-motivated by Kiewit, they've created a walking program and if we participate we get prizes, namely a gift card, and who doesn't like gift cards? The other reason we are motivated is because I can actualy feel that it is getting "cooler" in this desert place that we live in. Even though the temps are still in the 100s+ during the day, it is actually feeling cooler at night-YAY! I'm gonna guess and say it cooled down to maybe 80 or so, which is a huge relief! So there we are at about 9pm, lacing up our walking shoes, and strapping on the pedometers. We were ready to go. Bruce was really interested in the whole pedometer aspect. He's never used one before and couldn't wait to check out how many "steps" he's taken. The walk was awesome, although Bruce complained that it was still too hot. I just enjoyed being outside and not feeling miserable and sweating my butt off. I also enjoyed looking at the stars. That's why I'm glad where we live, we can actually SEE the stars! If you live any closer to Phoenix, you miss out on those things. The damn city lights are so bright that you don't see anything. I'll keep you posted on the walks, hopefully we'll keep them scheduled :)

Bedding!

As promised, here is the bedding that we picked out! I absolutely love it, so colorful and so "BOY"! He's gonna love construction just like his daddy!

Camo gear from Great Gma 'Zousek

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New comfy recliner!!

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ahhh registering for baby items

This past Sunday we made the trek (well not so much a trek as Babies R Us is only about 5 miles from our house--very dangerous by the way) Bruce was nice enough to join me on this shopping trip even though he despises shopping. My goal was to get done in under 2 hours. Bruce's goal was under 1 hour. Let's just say we met in the middle with about an hour and half. Let me tell you this place is overwhelming. I have been in before, picking out stuff for other pregnant friends, but when it's for you, it's a little bit more daunting. We slowly began to wander up and down the aisles, me with both the checklist and scanner gun in hand. I can only imagine what would be on our registry if I let Bruce hold that thing! I believe that we have touched just about everything on the registry. The items that probably took the longest was picking out car seats/travel systems. We must have walked back and forth between the car seats for bigger children and the travel systems (stroller with infant car seat and car seat dock for the car--very handy) so many times it made my head spin. Not just the types, but the patterns and different features. We settled on a travel system that is black, silver, and white striped. I've already tested it out and am able to open, close, attach and detach everything on there! 1 point Shawna, and I don't even have a kid yet! We also found the car seat that will be used, once the infant car seat is outgrown, It's Eddie Bauer, dark chocolate brown with silver-ish accents. I'm very happy with what we found. The next item that took the most time was the crib, and dressers. Aye yi yi. We only found one that we loved at the store, so that was easy, and I also checked online and we are still going with the original one we picked. I stayed away from registering for clothes since the baby clothing has already started to trickle in from family. I can only imagine how much more will arrive! We also picked out the bedding, it is sooo adorable. It's called Work Zone, which is very fitting to the Kiewit life. It is very colorful and I can't wait to start putting the room together. Now before we even made it through registering, I of course had to take a potty break since my poor bladder has limited room. We had made it to the back of the store by the diapers, and I left Bruce alone with the scanner gun. Luckily, he didn't scan anything, but I did come out to find him reading up on cloth diapers and holding a giant koosh-ball punching balloon type thing. I wish I would have snapped a picture of it. Bruce definitely is a child at heart, because he was on his last strings for shopping, but once he found this new toy to play with, he was occupied the rest of the trip! Thank you who ever left this giant koosh-ball thing in the diaper section. You are an angel. Haha. So we wrapped up at Babies R Us, and we were pulling out of the parking lot, only to see a sign over at La-Z-Boy that they were having a huge sale. We had decided early on, that we were just going to get a nice rocking recliner instead of one of those gliders things. So we headed over there. We found a couple that were so amazingly comfortable, that I didn't want to get out of them. The only thing discouraging was the price tag, even though they were on sale. The one we both loved was $1000--ON SALE, that's not a deal for me. So we left there, and ended up checking out 4 other stores, not really anything spectacular, until the last store-The Room Store. They also were having a sale, we found one that was the last one, and also the floor model. $400 was more in our price range than $1000! It's so great, dark camel color, and leather. VERY COMFORTABLE! Now Bruce and I fight over who gets to sit in it! I'm sure it will get plenty of use by the both of us once the baby comes.

Ultrasound details and other updates.

So we had our second and probably last ultrasound yesterday and as you can tell by the previous post, we now know that we are expecting a little boy! Bruce and I are sooo thrilled! Our appointment was at 7:30 am and we were the first one of the day. Let me tell you how nice it is to actually get the first appointment somewhere! I HATE being delayed by others’ appointments running over. We had the same ultrasound tech that we had the first time, so it was nice to see a familiar face. She went to work right away, moving the little instrument all over my tummy to get the angle that she wanted to look at. Now we just had a regular ultrasound, but it is so amazing how much you can see with the regular one. This was just as good as a 3D one in my books! The tech worked away taking measurements of everything from the head (it’s normal size right now, but we all know that it will probably be huge and give me hell during birth!) the arms, the legs, the kidneys, bladder, heart, umbilical cord, nose, lips, brain, spine, etc, etc, etc. Bruce was concerned about how much she kept mentioning down syndrome, spina bifida and cerebral palsy. I had to explain to him that that is why they take all of the measurements, to make sure there are no signs of any of those. And we are all clear! YAY! And then came the moment we were all waiting for, drum roll please…..gender! As soon as she moved over to the area where the baby’s butt was, almost on command, spread it’s legs to reveal the “goods.” I was so excited that it was totally obvious. That was one of my fears that we wouldn’t be able to tell the gender. But it was so obvious that it can’t be wrong! (see picture in previous post) And how great it feels to be able to start planning for registry items! I can’t wait to register at Babies R Us this weekend! I am very excited to be having a boy, this is a whole new world for me to experience A. because I’m a girl, and B. because I just haven’t been around baby boys very often – in my family, both sides, I have 1 boy cousin, and then my brother. Mr. Bruce better be ready to step in with all of the MANLY stuff :) I’m sure he won’t have a problem. Below are some pics from the ultrasound. We have it on DVD as well, I just have to figure out how to get it on here :)

Busy doing some toe touches to increase his flexibility

Profile, not very good, but still there

And this is the creepiest of creepy, his face looking at you with his left eye open and a hand by his chin.

I had my monthly check up today. Everything was great. One concern was that my boobs have turned a pinkish-reddish color. Not anywhere else on my chest, but just the boobs. I figured it was just because they are growing at such a rapid pace, so I had the doctor examine them to make sure it wasn’t anything else. He didn’t find anything abnormal, so he said as long as they don’t itch, hurt, or have lumps, it is probably just from them growing and the increase of blood vessels in the area to begin making milk. Whew! One less thing to worry about now. Everything else was good and baby BOY’s heartbeat was still super strong at 150 bpm-like it was yesterday at the ultrasound. Next up will be my September monthly checkup and the wonderful 1 hour glucose test. I’ve heard that it sucks, but it has to be done to make sure I don’t have gestational diabetes. A couple of my friends who’ve gone through this and failed the first test have drilled into my head not to eat at all before the test. Not eating will suck, but as long as it produces accurate test results, I’m ok with it. Oh and congrats to my friend Diane, hubby Chris and their new baby girl-Morgan. She gave birth to her on Monday. And my friend Melissa is in for a scheduled C-section as I type, so future congrats to her, hubby Nik, big brother Dallas, and their baby girl that should be arriving any minute!

It's a BOY!!!

We are sooo excited! I'll follow up with more later!
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My bump, my bump, my lovely baby bump.

Here I am at 21 weeks and starting to stick out. Going shopping for some maternity shirts tonight for the following reasons: 1. I want new clothes 2. My "pre-pregnancy" shirts aren't fitting right-in the bust, or length and the most important 3. I have a coupon to Kohls! Bruce hates it when I get coupons. He says just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you can spend money. I disagree. It means you are going to get such an awesome deal on something, and that will justify the whole trip! haha. Oh the differences between girls and boys.....

Just Kidding

My ultrasound is now on August 5th. Bruce is going to be out of town next week now and we for sure don't want him to miss this!!
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Doctor Timeliness

Why is it that when you are late your appointment is canceled, but when the doctor is late you wait for hours? And of course you won't leave because you need to get in and see him/her. That is exactly what happened last Wednesday at my monthly appointment. SOOOOO FRUSTRATING!! Of course the doctor's office is no where near my job, so I have to leave early. I peace out of the office by 2:45, to get to my 3:30 appointment by 3:15 (like a good patient) only to find out she's running a half hour behind. (By she I mean not my regular doctor. They want us to meet all of the doctors in the practice just in case my primary isn't available the day I go into labor.) So 4 pm rolls around and they call my name, I'm pretty pumped because the normal monthly appointments only last about 15 min or so, and that means I'll still have time to run bra shopping before dinner at Jamie's and volleyball practice at 6:30 pm. WRONG-O my friends. I get weighed, and my blood pressure taken. Then sit, and sit, and sit and sit. finally after 20 min I poke my head out to the nurses station to see about how much longer. She says "Oh no more than 5-10 min." WRONG AGAIN! That 5-10 min turned into another 25. So when the doctor finally walks in, she was like "so we have you at about 15 weeks." WRONG, 3 strikes, she's out. At the time I was just about 19. She had the wrong chart!!!! Come on now, get it right. By then all I wanted to do was hear the heart beat and get the heck outta there. Well I did, and it was beating at about 150 bpms which is great. Sorry for the venting, but it was totally necessary. On a better note, I was able to schedule the gender ultrasound for next Tuesday July 28th. They even had a super early appointment--which means more convenient for both Bruce and I's work schedules. It's at 7:30 am, so I should be out by 8 and to work no later than 9 depending on traffic. Perfect. That makes me smile :) I also think that we have both decided that we want to find out the gender of baby Applegate as well. It is going to be all down hill from there because then I can finally go register my little heart out at Babies R Us! Next doctor appointment is August 6th. Hopefully that one goes smoother than the last!

Nebraska Visit!

Boy am I exhausted! My trip to Nebraska was great. It was so nice to get out of the heat for a week. I was able to see pretty much all of my family that is up there including aunts, uncles, and cousins! I got in Friday night the 3rd and immediately went to the Moon. That always seems to be my first stop when I get back into town. All of the triplets were there and it was weird to see them drinking in a bar and I couldn’t drink with them! Oh well. Saturday, Rachel, Michaela, and I ran some errands at Shadow Lake, and then had my first must: RUNZA! It was just exactly how I remembered it. I love that place! Then it was off to buy fireworks. We had a BBQ at mom and dad’s. Allison and Kellie stopped by too! It was great! Then we put on a fireworks show and grandma even got into it with the HUGE Morning Glory sparklers that Rachel bought. Sunday we just hung out and waited for mom and dad to get home from the lake. We went to dinner with Mark, Lori, Ryan and Beth to El Bee’s. Totally delish! We even got my favorite, fried ice cream! Monday it was bumming around with grandma. We went to get me fitted for my bridesmaid dress for Missy’s wedding. We had to go back Tuesday to pick it up. It turned out really really cute, and I can even wear it again if needed! Tuesday night I met Laura at her new house so I could see it before I left. We then went to Rojas to meet Allison and Lindsay. Dinner was all right, but it was good to see my friends. Wednesday we had a double birthday party for my aunt Teresa and grandma. It was fun to see my mom’s side of the family and some of the family friends that I haven’t seen in a long time. I also got my first case of everyone wanting to touch my belly! At least it was people I know. I don’t know what I’ll do when complete strangers start touching me, I’ll probably smack them! Thursday I went to go get my nails done for the wedding. Friday we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for Missy and Justin. It was good to see a bunch of my college friends that I hadn’t seen probably since I graduated! Saturday the day started bright and early with a hair appointment for the wedding. We actually lucked out that day because it was overcast, and not very humid at all. Perfect wedding weather, especially for NE in July. Wedding was beautiful and the reception was fun—even though I wasn’t drinking! Sunday before I left, mom, dad, and I went and checked out the pedestrian bridge that connects NE and IA. I felt like such a tourist! It was fun thing to do before I headed back to AZ. If anyone cares, I’ll back in September for Lindsay’s wedding and my NE baby shower! Until then….peace out.