Merry Christmas 2010!

The Gall-Gods

Hi...

Will make a quick post to say the gall-gods has sent me some reprieve!  I'm doing better!  Having less pain and fewer trips to de bain.  Pheww!  I've been a low fat diet for a few weeks now and started taking shaklee's pro-biotic regime...it's working.  I still get a few twinges in the gall after I eat but not the excruciating, please rip it out, feeling I was getting.  So I'm much happier at the moment!  The little dude is kicking up a storm.  The kicks are stronger and kicking all over.  Some of them are so strange feeling...feels like my whole inside is upsidedown.  Amazing how this little guy is living inside me.  We still havn't picked a name.  We're down to 2 maybe 3 names at the moment...BUT we have decided to keep the name secret until he is born.  Picking a name is tough and something Mike and I want to keep private for awhile.  I always thought that was so annoying when couples kept the name secret and here I am doing it.  I guess you don't get it until you get it.  Happy Holiday season to all! 
xoxo kim 

Recent Pics

Thanks!

Thanks for all the sweet sweet Birthday wishes!  I had a great bday relaxing at home for most of the day.  Had a great meal at home then out to the movies.  Could not have scripted it any better.  Still batteling this pain which is quit frustrating.  This week it reaching a new miserable level.  I have a doc appointment tomorrow who hopefully can shed some more light on the problem...or at least can give me some stronger pain medication.  Hoping to avoid surgery while pregnant but know that's a possibility.  The pain was so bad last night I would have let them slice me open in any fashion.  ohhh my, the beauty of pregnancy.  This little guy is worth it though, I already know that!  So I'll sit idly by and wait my turn one tylenol at a time and try to captain my ship into a blissful state of mind. 

Thanks again for the birthday wishes!  xoxo kim           

Quote by Nelson Mandela

"I am the captain of my soul."

Boot Boot

A great summary of this pregnancy so far! Thanks papa Joe! 

It's not easy being green

I guess I feel a little like Kermit these days.  The past couple weeks have been a little rough.  I came to a point this week where I was officially overwhelmed...not a nice feeling!  My recent pains have turned out to be an inflammation of my gallbladder!  Just about the last thing I was expecting.  Been having these pains for weeks maybe months now and chalked them up to normal growing pains or a pulled muscle.  After having some tests, the good news was that I don't have gallstones but the bad news is that it's inflamed and most likely contains sludge which could at anytime develop into stones.  So I'm stuck with pains after I eat....just something I have to live with for now.  I also have to live with the IRS.  Awww, we got auditted!  Another big stressor that happened this week.  So between my gallbladder and the IRS my patience were gone and was left feeling depressed and overwhelmed.  BUT, I'm picking up my pieces and putting myself back together one straw at a time and know I'll find the strength, like I usually do, to get through this. 
     My belly continues to grow and I continue to feel him kick!  It's a strange and beautiful sensation!  I felt my first kick a few weeks ago after a yoga class.  It was a divine moment that could not have fit better.  After about an hour of yoga we were doing our post yoga meditation...so while I'm lying on my back simply relaxing with a quite mind I feel him kick.  It was a very special moment and one that left my heart smiling.  I do think something special happened at that moment and a bond started that's hard to describe.
     Last weekend, Mike and I went to visit Kristie and Dave in Richmond.  We had a great visit with some great friends.  We got to meet their latest addition to the family, Sean.  Sean, is a blonde haired blue eyed sweetie with a even temperament.  We would be so lucky to have our little boy that cool.  We also got to see their 2 year old, Hannah.  Hannah, is an adorable vivacious little girl with lots of curly blond hair and tall!  Not too surprising with two tall parents.  I wish we had taken some pictures to share...forgot the camera this trip.  It was great to see them and great to see how a happy healthy family operates with a newborn and a toddler.  They are GREAT parents and have this parenting stuff down...they make it look easy but I know it's not!  We were so lucky to inherit tons of baby clothes too!  Thanks Kristie and Dave!
     Yesterday, I went to another baby shower...second shower this month.  Perfect timing, I've learned so much from just these baby showers.  There's so much more to a baby than just onesies and diapers.  Gaiya had a wonderful baby shower where she got all of the cutest girl clothes that exist in this world.  This girl will be the best dressed baby there is, no doubt.  It was great to see college friends I haven't seen in a long time and local friends I don't get see enough.  Afterwards, came home and dug through another pile of receipts...ugggh.  This tax stuff is going to be messy.

WOW...there really IS a baby in there!

This week was a big week for us!  We found out we're having a boy!  I've never been more excited, relieved, happy, so many words come to mind about this baby.  This pregnancy has been a nerve-racking process and all of a sudden I have an overwhelming feeling of relief.  I guess working in the industry I do and my natural ability to over worry I've built up a lot of anxiety.  We had a full bio-physical profile ultrasound of this baby where we looked at everything...I mean everything.  It is quite amazing how much we already know about this baby!  We looked at all the extremities, brain, heart, abdomen and all in detail.  We looked at the heart beat, did a mini-ekg, checked out the placenta and the blood flow to and from.  It was amazing to see all this going on inside me and without my direction.  It's truly amazing how life starts and grows all without my conscious help.  The human body has always fascinated me but this is by far it's greatest achievement.  Through all my morning sickness, food poising, a cold, lack of sleep and good nutrition at times it's easy to imagine how the development of this child could go wrong...at least that's the way I think.  But, I guess, these bumps in the road our body's are use to and possibly makes our genes stronger.  In our history of man,  our in utero-babies have survived much worse I know.  Although we don't have the final report about the ultrasound, it made me feel better...just knowing if there is something wrong we should know if not by now at least very soon.  The ultrasound tech was wonderful.  She was a pro!  The little guy of coarse made it difficult for her.  The little guy was hiding behind my belly button with his face pointed up with his hands covering his face.  So we really didn't get to "see" his face very well.  She had to do a lot of the ultrasound from my side.  But when it came to the sex, well that was easy.  He was sitting with his legs wide open for the world to see.  We all looked at the monitor and said, BOY!  It didn't take an ultrasound tech to figure that out!  That was about the clearest shot we got.  The ultrasound took about an hour and we didn't find out the sex until the 59th minute.  So there was a lot of build up...very exciting!  Jane then excused herself for a, "call" and brought back a celebratory balloon that said, "It's a boy"  She had both ready in the car.  We were so touched and excited we had to take a picture!  It was a great day!  Even though, poor Mike, had emergency tooth surgery that morning where they had to pull a wisdom tooth that had fused to his jaw...so incidentally had a bit of his jaw removed.  So if he looks a little 'out of it' in that picture it's because half his face was numb and was a few deep in vicodin.  I was amazed he even made it to the appointment at all.  He's much better now and healing well.  OK enough rambling for today..
xoxo Kim 

It's a BOY!!!

bump @ 17weeks

Prego-brain

Warning to all!  Prego-brain is not just an urban legend but is actually very real and very scary!  Part of my brain has completely shut off.  I'm not kidding.  I probably should not even tell anyone this but really who is honestly reading this anyway.  Probably just a few of my closest friends and family who will probably get a kick out of this.  I have managed to loose my ATM card, my credit card, my drivers license and my work badge.  Now, these were all lost at different times so NO I did not just loose my purse.  These were all on different occasions and in the span of one week!  So how is this even possible you are probably asking yourself.  Well, I guess easy when you have prego-brain.  To make matters worse I lost these things all in the same way...you think I would learn the first 1-2 times.  You see, I wear hospital issued scrubs at work and naturally I can't carry a purse so I carry items in my scrub pockets.  So this is the sequence of events.  The first day, I had my atm card in my pocket to get cash out for lunch but to find the atm machine broken.  So I used my atm card to buy lunch.  At the end of the day I threw my scrubs in the dirty linen along with my atm card.  So the next day, not having an atm card or cash I had to bring my credit card to the deli.  At the end of the day I did the same damn thing.  I threw my scrubs in the dirty linen along with my credit card.  So a couple days go by and I don't loose anything.  Monday comes around and I can't find my work badge.  Now this has many consequences and is highly annoying.  I can't get into the staff parking garage so need to pay to park in the visitor lot (which remember I don't have an atm card, cash or credit card so this is difficult), I can't clock-in-out so my bosses have to manually enter my hours so it's inevitable my paycheck will be missing hours, and the fact that I could get in big trouble for not wearing a badge while giving patient care.  Well, also another consequence.  Wednesday, they were offering the flu shot to hospital employees.  Hospital employees who have their badge at least.  So, I had to take my drivers license with me to get the flu shot.  The good news is that they gave it to me but the bad news is that I threw it in the dirty linen, AGAIN!!!  You would really think that this is all impossible.  I have totally lost my mind!  This is all coming from someone who has never lost a single atm card, credit card, or license in her whole life.  The closest I've ever come to loosing a credit card is leaving it at the bar and forgetting to close out my tab.  But really was that my fault?  Not really, because in that instance I was over-served (as papa Kenney would say).   So really I have never really lost any of these things before!  I ,of coarse, closed the atm card and credit card but the license well you can't exactly do that.  I guess I could change my name but I've grown to like it, so loosing my license could very well have irrevocable damage.  Someone may try to use it for a whole number of things and try to pass as me.  But if they were smart they wouldn't because being me is dicey right now.

The baby's calling the shots.

I'll first start this blog with what is foremost in my mind then go into all the exciting things that happened this past week.  A very tough decision was made this week and one that leaves me working part-time.  As everyone knows this pregnancy has not been easy and continues to drain every ounce of life from me.  As one of my co-workers said the other day, "This is gonna be one damn good-looking baby because it's taken all you have."  We have come to the realization that working full time is not in the cards I was dealt.  It's hard admitting defeat especially for me whose someone that refuses to accept defeat.  My life has proven thus far that I can do anything I put my mind to.  I guess there is a life lesson here.  When it comes to this baby my wishes are now second and this baby is now calling the shots...and I'm quite sure this is only the beginning of that.   I know this is best for both the baby's health and mine but getting there in my mind will take awhile.

  OK on a more fun note!  We started getting the baby room ready!  We decided to use the yellow room which is painted a bright yellow and thus far has served as our main guest room.  Yellow being a gender neutral color it will serve for a boy or a girl...at least until there old enough to tell me differently ;)  Mama Jane and I shopped many places looking for baby furniture and found the best overall value at Target.  Mama Jane and papa Joe surprised us and bought the furniture!  The furniture is a beautiful dark cherry color that looks amazing next to the bright yellow.  Jane and Joe, thank you sooo much!  Mike even found a glider in superb condition on craigslist that matches perfectly too.  Just when I thought we couldn't get any more spoiled, we were.  My Aunt Colleen and Uncle Al sent us a Herman Miller rocking chair.  The coolest rocking chair ever made!  This will sit in our living room next to the pack-play and looks awesome there.  This will work out great to have a rocker on the main level.  Colleen and Al, thank you sooo much!  Love to all, Kim

Zoo pic

Hi!  I have so much to blog about but no time to blog.  Will post this picture for now and hope to write later this week.  My friend, Heather, visited this weekend and we went to the zoo. 

The Bump

Well, I officially have a bump!  I no longer look like I've just gained a few but that I'm preggers.  I knew the turning point when I saw a colleague that I haven't seen in 3 years and she immediately said, "Congratulations," and touched my belly.  Phheww, past that awkward stage.  I also feel much much better!  I was able to work a full schedule this past week...I was totally exhausted but I did it.  I had a little rough patch the past couple days but I think I just needed some extra sleep and now I feel great!  Officially having a bump means that I'm officially in maternity clothes....awwwww!  To be honest, I was scared of maternity clothes.  That whole elastic business that pulls up to your boobs is just weird.  Maternity clothes shopping was not something I was looking forward to but mama Jane made it fun and not feel so weird.  Mama Jane and I took a trip to Tysons, Tysons II to be exact.  Who wouldn't want to go shopping in Tysons and have a little lunch at Maggianos??  Wasn't too hard to convince of that.  So we ventured into Pea in the Pod.  Not having a clue of what to look for, what size or what's my style a lovely sales associate helped us.  She was great!  She picked out about 20 pairs of jeans, 20 pairs of pants and a 100 tops to try on.  The dressing room was full.  The funniest part of all is that she strapped me on a belly!  It's this foam belly that straps on like a belt and mimics being 6 months preggers.  Now, I thought this is really dumb.  But no, she knew what she was doing!  I absolutely needed it to tell how the clothes will fit down the road.  We later kicked ourselves for not taking pictures.  I was thrilled to find a few really great pieces that mama Jane treated me too!  I was very thankful because, wow, their clothes are expensive!  Thanks so much Jane!  We then ventured to Macy's where I found a couple more things...they have a great maternity section.  I was set at that point and had plenty of silly wide elastic-band pants that could stretch over my head. 
   Later,  I will post my first belly picture.  Will try to post belly pictures every few weeks...So everyone can see how this dude or dudette is making itself at home.  We'll know the sex Oct 28th, hopefully.  As long as he/she cooperates with the ultrasound.  I hope all is well with all of YOU!     xoxo, kim

Babies r' us

We took our first trip to babies r us!  This was a  trip I have been avoiding and didn't feel ready for until now.  The shear quantity of stuff and multiple different brands of the same stuff is enough to send a new moms head spinning.  So I prepared myself by saying this was going to be our test run.  No real shopping or really looking at one particular thing; more like a stake-out.  Just to get the lay of the land and find our comfort zone.  It was a good trip and a necessary one for us both.  I did not even venture close to the baby bottle section.  My goodness there must have been 500 bottles against that wall with 500 different types of nipples...nope, not there yet.  We looked at baby monitors, they were only about 5 to choose from, we can handle that.  Although seems like a baby monitor is something you could buy second-hand; which Mike quickly pointed out and have to agree with.  After all, how long do parents really keep these things??  We looked at bathtubs.  Only 4 to choose from there, we can handle that too.  Mike wasn't really on-board with the baby bathtub idea...I guess he has to see it in action.  We briefly looked at strollers and car seats but that's a whole trip in its' self.  Different sizes, shapes, colors but all look pretty much the same, ugly.  Not a one cool looking car seats...I guess that's not the point and safety is but why can't we have both??  The strollers have come a little further in the looks department...there were a couple good looking ones.  We looked at their nursery furniture and was pleasantly surprised.  They had a really nice selection with what seemed good quality and for a reasonable price.  Nothing that fit the bill exactly for us but stuff that we could make work.  The baby's room is very small so finding just the right furniture is imperative.  We're first going to exhaust Craigs List for second hand furniture and if need-be buy new.  So far, we have found lots of great postings for baby furniture so we're hopeful we'll find something.  So that's about all we looked at babies r us.  We left unscathed and feeling positive about our stake-out.  
     Something I'll mention quickly but won't go into in depth.  It's just too disgusting of a topic to go into on a blog.  This poor baby had to endure food poisoning thursday night.  Ohh and me too.  We were up all night with severe forms of the typical symptoms of food poising.  I'm hoping it was the grand finale to this first trimester sickness! 

Is it a boy...is it a girl?

Next most often question I get is, "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?."  In the very early stages of pregnancy I had a "feeling" it's a girl but as time has passed I now think it's a boy.  But I'm not sure if I really think that or everyone else has convinced me of that.  Everyone around me seems to think it's a boy.  All of my co-workers say it's a boy and them being nurses they must be right...right?  The exception being, Noelle, who said from the beginning it's a girl;  But she also says she always wrong.  The most convincing co-worker I have is this older lady who has as much wisdom as the Oracle; we call her Ms. Poe.  She has 5 children and 11 grandchildren and says she always knows the sex of babies in utero.  She was the second person at work I told because I knew she would be soooo happy.  Ms. Poe has lectured me, lovingly, just about everyday for that last year or so saying, "It's time to make baby."  Nothing makes her more happy than family and all she wants for me is to experience the happiness she gets from her family.  For the first few weeks she would look at me and say, "I'm not sure yet."  Then just last week she says, "It's a boy."  So if Ms. Poe says it's a boy then it's a boy!  Mike is also sure it's a boy but I think he just wants another lacrosse buddy.  He's already got a mini-lacrosse stick for him.
     I turned 13 weeks this week and was hoping for the nausea to turn off.  Well, it didn't.  I was so disappointed and saddened this week because I was sure it would be over this week.  Expectation is the root of disappointment and my expectations were too high.  I missed a lot of work this week which was upsetting because I was sure I would be able to work a full schedule this week.  Ohh well, I have to continue to remind myself of this quote I read in this great book that mama Jane & papa Joe gave me, " Pregnancy is an exercise in acceptance, rolling with the punches and just doing the best you can."  I have found a lot of peace with this quote.  I have also found a lot of strength from the sweet sweet sweet words of many friends and family.  I truly have never been more touched by the sweet words of so many people.  Thanks for all your support!  xoxo kim

Diary of a pregnancy

I guess the most suitable place to start would be with the subject of food.  After all, food is one of the many important building blocks of life.  The second question I have been asked most often is, "Are you having any strange food cravings?"  I guess a couple, but mainly I have had strong distastes for foods.  Peanut butter comes to mind the first.  I usually love peanut butter but since this baby has taken over I can't stand it!  Vegetables come to mind second.  I can't eat a vegetable to save my life and again I usually love vegetables.  My diet for the past 2 months has consisted of mostly complex high calorie carbohydrates; pasta, rice, and bread.  So yes, I have already put on 6 lbs.  You would think through all this nausea and vomiting one would loose weight but not with these Kenney genes.  These genes have mastered the art of gaining weight not loosing it!  Protein has been really hard to eat but has gotten a lot easier in the past 2 weeks.  As for the cravings, I crave all fruits.  I can't eat enough fruit.  Mostly oranges and cantaloupe.  Coincidence or divine design that they are both orange?  I don't know. The strangest craving I have is for a turkey and cheese sub sandwich from this deli I would frequent in college called the SubStation.  Something about there bread, shredded lettuce, shaved turkey and this special dressing.  Now, that is strange, I havn't thought about the SubStation in Blacksburg in years.  I want one so bad!  Mike are you reading this!

Special Announcement

Wanted to make a special announcement to all the important people in our life! We're expecting! I'm about 12 weeks along and so far everything looks good. I'm due March 23, 2011. We are going to find out the sex and will know that around Halloween. My first trimester, so far, has been something miserable. I guess I'm one of "those" people with the bad nausea, vomitting, headaches and pure exhaustion. They say the sicker you are the healthier the baby. Well, this baby may very well have super powers because I've been one sick puppy! Every week I seem to be getting a little better. I hope this trend continues. We're both thrilled about this new phase in our life but naturally nervous too. Luckily, we have great family and friends who can give us guidance.  Here is our lastest pic...