Soon!

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and the doctor told me that the baby is head down and working her way down into position. While nothing is a guarantee, the doctor is pretty sure this baby is coming before her due date. Sounds like she's impatient, just like her Mommy.

Damon and I have already packed our bags, her bag, a bag of snacks and pre-registered with the hospital. Now it's a waiting game. I'd like her to stay in there until at least Saturday, that's when she's considered full term. Damon guessed the 14th, I guessed the 17th, but now I'm inclined to guess an even earlier date... My new guess is the 9th.

We can't wait to meet her. It doesn't matter when she gets here as long as she's healthy and ready.

My next appointment is on Tuesday, we'll see where she's at then. Until then, I'm going to take it easy and rest, taking full advantage of this week off work.

pregnant women can still be sexy...

Busy, busy, busy!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last wrote.

Work has been extremely busy and with Thanksgiving in November and Christmas next week, I've been keeping plenty busy.

Last weekend Jackie threw a baby shower for me.  It was perfect.  A champagne brunch with friends and family.  I was completely overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone, near and far... we had gifts shipped for her from California, Massachusetts, Florida, Colorado, Connecticut and Kentucky.  This little girl is already spoiled!

My Mom and the Coulomb girls helped with the food and decor, it was all adorable! Here are a few pictures:

So we're down to 37 days until my due date.  I've already got everything washed and put away that we got at the shower.  Damon has put together the stroller, snap and go, pack-n-play, bouncy seat and swing.  We're going to install the car seat in the coming days (just in case she decides to come early).  I'm also going to pack my bag this weekend. 

We played "guess the due date and weight" at the shower.  The earliest guess was for 12/31, hopefully she hangs in longer than that.  I'm good with anytime after January 7th, but my guess was January 17th, 6lbs 13oz.  Damon thinks she's coming on January 14th (the day before his birthday). 

My next doctor appointment is on Wednesday, so we'll see what they say.

2 weekends ago we did our hospital tour.  It's so strange to think that the next time we go to that hospital, it will be to have the baby. 

A few weekends ago Damon treated me to a "staycation" where he booked a hotel room for us for a night.  We packed bags, checked in, went out to brunch, did some shopping, got massages, went out to dinner, out for drinks (kiddie cocktails for me).  It was such a nice surprise, I owe him one!

More updates to come as the due date gets closer.

Nursery

Well, the nursery is pretty much done.  All the furniture is in, the decor is done, the only basic thing missing is the changing pad that will go on the dresser.  Also, a pillow I ordered from Pottery Barn Kids is on backorder until December, but once that arrives, it will go on the rocker.  It turned out even better than I thought it would.  I'm so happy with it and I hope she will love it too. 

Here are the "after" pictures...

Looking into the room:

Door Wall:

Right Wall:

Left Wall:

I love my baby girl

I haven't even met her yet and I've only seen her twice, but I am so in love with her and can't wait to meet her.

I just wish and pray that she'll be healthy and that her Daddy and I can make her very happy.

81 more days (or less, hopefully)!!!!

What have we been up to?

We've had some busy weekends recently.

We flew to California for Auntie Meggie & Uncle Matt's wedding 2 weekends ago and got to see the extended family on both the Mooren and Carlino sides.  Baby girl Mooren was really active so it was a lot a fun for people to get to feel her kicking and moving. 

Last weekend Damon and Uncle Mike moved a lot of things into storage to make room for the nursery furniture.  The crib and dresser were delivered last Friday and we picked up the chair on Saturday.  We had ordered a decal that came last Friday and Damon and I were too excited to see what it looked like we stayed up until 1AM putting it up.  I'll post pictures of the final finished product as soon as the mattress and crib skirt come, but everything is looking great.

Here's a sneak peak at the first piece of the decal we put up. 

This little guy will overlook the crib...

This is Damon putting together part of the crib...

...and this is Damon enjoying the new chair.

Feet

Damon was getting ready for work this morning, I'm off work this week so I was still in bed, and the baby was moving a bunch.  All of a sudden I felt a foot from the outside!!  It was really hard and pressing down to my left side, I called Damon over and he felt it too.  She's getting bigger and stronger and moves a lot.  Today was the first time we could tell what body part was where... so cool.

Before the Nursery

We've got a 2 bedroom condo in the city and we're not quite ready to move to the burbs, SO we're going to make the best out of the limited space that we have.  We're converting the guest room into the nursery, soon!  I've taken some before pictures and after seeing them on the computer, the room looks pretty boring.  I can assure you, it's much more charming in person (at least I think so).   The after pictures probably won't be posted until December, but I had these so thought I'd put them up.

We aren't sharing the nursery decor because we want to do it completely on our own, without any input or additions from anyone.  I think our plan will result in a cute room that our little girl will enjoy.

The before photos...

Looking into the room:



Door Wall:

 Right wall:

 Left Wall:

Baby Mamas

I was lucky enough to make a trip to the Boston area this past weekend to spend some time with Jess before our kiddies come.  It was so nice to be able to see her beautiful new house and have 4 nights in a row of a sleepover party!  We shopped (of course), got our nails done (obvi) hung curtains in the nursery, watched TV and a movie and Rob made us breakfast :-)

Jess' shower was on Saturday and she got a ton of great stuff... it was so fun to go through everything and see all the cute, tiny, new things.  It made me even more excited for my little one's arrival.  I'm also super excited that Jess' due date is fast approaching b/c I cannot wait to know if she's got a little girl or boy in her belly.

Speaking of bellies, of course I wanted a picture of our bellies... Jess was a good sport and humored me.  This shot on the left is from 7/24 (J  - just over 22 weeks, K - 15 weeks)and the shot on the right is from 10/11 (J - almost 33 weeks, K - just over 25 weeks).

Kung Fu Fighting

Sunday night Damon and I were on the couch watching football when our little girl had a kung fu experience.  She was kicking/punching so hard my stomach was being bumped out and Damon's hand was moving when she'd kick it.  Our little girl seems pretty strong already. 

We've got 15 1/2 weeks to go until my due date.  In a couple weeks we're going to start getting the nursery ready... moving out the guest room furniture, washing the walls and ordering the crib & dresser.  The glider should be coming towards the end of November, so we may just have the nursery done by Thanskgiving.  We haven't told anyone what we're doing in the nursery b/c we want it to be something that just Damon and I create, but I will post before & after pictures.  I think it's going to be really cute.

I'm heading to Boston this weekend for Jess' shower.  She's only got 8 weeks to go... I can't wait to know if she's having a boy or girl.  I'll post a picture of our pregnant bellies when I get back.

Growing belly

This first picture is from 21 weeks.

This one is from 23 weeks, my friend Rachel is 24 weeks, due exactly 1 week before me.  We're both having girls and yes, in this picture I look huge.  Let's blame it on the angle :-)

A Few More Pictures

Just wanted to post a couple more pictures from the ultrasound I had done on 9/2.

In this one, she's sucking her thumb:

Here she is working out her legs by pressing on me:

This one is supposedly her right foot, but I'm pretty sure it's the bottom view of her left foot, either way, it's definitely a foot:

And finally, for good measure, here's a picture of my fellas in the morning, neither wants their picture taken:

I'll work on getting some recent belly pictures up next.

Hiccups

This morning was a very exciting one for me... I woke up early (6:30, that's very early for me) and while I was lying in bed, my little girl had the hiccups!  They were so strong that my belly would move in and out with each one.  Such an amazing feeling. 

I just got back from my 5 month check-up.  The Dr. said all the measurements from the ultrasound looked great and her heartbeat was a normal and strong 155.  I put on a pound a week this month which is totally normal.  I'll be 22 weeks on Saturday.

5 Months

Tomorrow marks the 5 month mark.  On one hand, I can't believe how quickly 5 months has passed, on the other hand, has it really only been 5 months?

Saturday's baby shopping day was successful.  We picked out a ton of stuff for our registries, including the furniture we're going to get which I love!  We also decided on the room decor and bedding, but we're not sharing that until the finished product is ready to be unveiled.

We also couldn't help but buy a whole bunch of cute clothes at the outlet.. Baby Gap, Gymboree, Carter's, it was hard to resist.  We already have her first Easter dress.

Last night I was laying in bed reading and felt the baby move, a strong kick or jab.  I felt it again so I looked down and I could actually see my belly popping out where she was hitting me.  It was so cool!  Of course by the time I called Damon in, she stopped the big jabs.  He was able to feel her moving though, just not see it.

The next few weeks are pretty busy (2 weddings, Damon is going skydiving and a trip to Boston for me).  Before I know it, I'll be thinking about the Thanksgiving menu.  After that it's less than 2 months until baby girl's arrival.  I'm so excited to meet her!

Supporting the team

In honor of kickoff weekend, it's NFL day at the office.  Here's a picture of baby girl and me supporting our team of choice, the Patriots of course.  And yes... those are teeny tiny little Patriots booties.  Can't you just picture her in a little denim dress with these cute little booties on?  Speaking of cute little things, let the shopping commence!

I've got a full Saturday planned with stops at Buy Buy Baby, Babies r Us, Land of Nod, Cribs to College and an outlet mall (time for maternity clothes).  My sweet husband is braving it through all of this.

21 weeks tomorrow!  134 days to go, I can't believe it!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

We are excited to announce that baby Mooren is definitely a girl.

My ultrasound on September 2nd was amazing.  The last time we saw the baby was at the first appointment in June and even though I'm getting bigger and can feel her (I love that we know she's a she/her now instead of an it or just baby), anyways, even though I know she's getting bigger, to actually see her on the screen was incredibly cool.

We saw her cute little hands and feet, the 4 chambers of her heart, her brain, limbs and face.  I couldn't tell what everything was, but to have 45 minutes of just seeing the baby was a great start to a long weekend.

We didn't want the ultrasound technician to tell us in the appointment what the sex was, so she printed out a picture and put the gender on it and stuck it in an envelope for us.  After the appointment we went across the street to Millennium Park and went and stood near the bean.  Damon let me open it up and we were both shocked that it said girl.  So many people guessed boy that I think we both just assumed it was a boy.

We're incredibly thrilled that our baby girl will be joining us in about 4 or so months and I, for one, am super excited to go shopping for her.

Here's a picture of our sweet little girl at 20 weeks, she's waving at us.

Hyper baby?

This kid is so active, I wonder if I'm in for a really hyper child...

I feel the baby move a lot now, every day.  It seems like late at night, right before bed, is its favorite time to dance.

This past weekend Lix (Lisa and Lux) came to Chicago for a visit.  Friday night we went out for tapas (still full) and then went to Sluggers to listen to the dueling pianos.  Baby was moving up a storm that night and Damon, Lux & Lisa got to feel the baby move.  Shortly after Damon felt the baby move, the pianists played/sang Damon's request (he had put in for the song earlier in the night and they finally go to it), Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone."  I wonder if that was a hint from above that the baby is a boy, since Dylan is at the top of our list for boy names.

We'll know in 48 hours!!!

Time to go finish eating my stir fry, the baby is moving a lot, I think it likes the spicy food.

Dreams

Twice in the past week I've had a dream about the baby's gender.  Both times, the baby was a boy.  In a week and a half, we'll know, but today I think it's a boy.

I'm almost half-way there, which is crazy b/c it's gone by so fast.  And with a wedding, a trip to Boston and another wedding coming up, all that followed by the holidays, baby Mooren is going to be here before we know it!

Approaching the big day...

And by the big day, I mean the day where I get an ultrasound and we should be able to find out the gender of the baby.  2 weeks from today we should know!  Damon and I are unbelievably excited to find out what's growing in my belly.  Even though we originally said that we wouldn't find out the sex of our first baby, I think those of you who know us well know that the likelihood of us actually being able to wait was about as realistic as us not opening all our Christmas presents before Christmas.  It's true, we have that horrible habit.

I had my 4-month appointment this past Tuesday and found out that I'm now the same weight as I was before I got pregnant.  Funny though, because most of my pants don't fit me anymore.  It's good though, the baby is growing, the heartbeat is strong and I feel great.  

I'll be 18 weeks on Saturday and in the words of my co-worker, I've "really popped this week." Ha, I think, or at least I hope, she meant that in a good way. 

I feel the baby move more distinctly now and the other night when I laid down to go to sleep, Damon and I could actually see which side of my belly the baby was resting in.  It was so cool.

Last night Damon put together the first piece of furniture for the baby's room... a cube organizer that we'll use for books and toys.  Gnarly is already jealous of the baby's toys and sat in the guest room whining and reaching for the stuffed animals.  I think it's good that we're slowly starting to make changes, not only for Gnarly, but for me.  As Damon and Lux say, I like to be the foreman, but I also like to be able to do things myself... a little bit of change at a time is good.  I'll save the big changes for a few months from now.

Definitely Showing

Damon and I went out to dinner last night (nothing new there) but the funniest thing happened.

I was washing my hands when a little girl and her Mom stepped out of the stall next to me and up to the sink.  The little girl was staring  at me for a good 5 seconds before she said "Mommy, is she having a baby?"  The Mom was beyond mortified and frozen, probably in anticipation of what I was going to say.  I waited a couple seconds, smiled and said "yes I am."  I'm sure that was a huge relief to the Mom, now safely knowing that her daughter did not basically just call some girl fat. 

It was really cute and made me smile to know that my belly looks like a baby bump and not just like a few too many beers and desserts. 

I'm 17 weeks today and the baby is the size of an onion.  I can feel it move sometimes and last night was the first time it felt like a little more than just a flutter.  The baby is going through a growth spurt the next few weeks, which I can only assume means that my belly will be growing too.  I haven't bought any maternity pants yet, but that's not to say that my regular pants still fit me (only a handful still do).  Good thing it's Summer b/c my dresses and skirts are coming in handy. 

I know we still have 5 months to go, but we started packing up some things to make room for baby.  City condo living does not equal mass amounts of space, but I think we'll be okay for a while.  I'll post before and after pictures of the guest room closet (as soon as I can walk in that room to get to the closet).  I think I'm driving Damon nuts with my nesting, but I'd rather get this stuff done now before I'm too big/uncomfortable to help. 

It's lunchtime now, which means I'm starving!  I'm going to start with a bowl of ice cream and then eat my meal :-) 

What's new with baby?

I hope the baby likes music, b/c it has already been exposed to all sorts of live music.

In May, we saw Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at a private show in Cabo.  In July we saw Tom Petty, Kings of Leon and The Dead Weather (3 concerts in 3 weekends).  This past Sunday we went to Lollapalooza and saw Yeasayer, MGMT, Cypress Hill and Arcade Fire.  In September we're going to Dave Matthews Band at Wrigley and finally, in October we'll see Social Distortion.

In addition to the live music, Damon made a playlist that I try to play before bed (when I remember).  I put the headphones up to my belly and play a couple songs.

At just over 16 weeks, the baby is growing toenails, eyebrows and eyelashes and is about to go through a growth spurt.  He or she is the size of an avocado now and taste buds are forming in it's mouth.  I sure hope it loves cheese and ice cream b/c I've been giving it plenty of those.

Baby Mooren attended it's first wedding this weekend... Uncle Mike and Aunt Jackie got married!  It was a perfect day and because of my renewed second trimester energy, I was able to stay out until 1 in the morning.  Thank you baby and congrats Jackie & Mike!

Week 6 Kolleen, meet week 14 Kolleen

Tickled from the inside out

I'll be 15 weeks on Saturday, which supposedly is too early to feel movement.  That may be the norm, but I swear, this week I may have felt the baby move.

Lots of people attribute the feeling to gas bubbles, but I never, ever, have a gas (I'm a lady) so I'm sticking with the baby moving theory.

It kind of feels like a goldfish swimming around really low on my belly.  I can't wait until the baby gets big enough to really feel and even see when he/she is moving.  

I had to travel this week for work and was really busy, pretty stressed out and didn't sleep a lot.  A friend of my Mom's lent me an at-home doppler, so I gave it a whirl this morning and right away I could hear the baby's heartbeat.  What a happy, relaxing sound. 

In only 5 weeks from now, we'll know if baby Mooren is a mini-Damon or mini-Kolleen.

I can't wait!!!

2nd Dr. Appointment

We had our second Dr. appointment this past Friday.  My forgetfulness is really kicking in... I had 3 questions I wanted to ask the doctor and I told them to Damon in the elevator on the way up.  As soon as the doctor walked in the room, I could only remember 2 of them.  They took my blood pressure and weight and then we got to hear the heartbeat.  The doctor warned us that it might take a little bit to find it, and the one second of silence we heard when she put the machine to my belly was deafening, but then it was thumping loud and clear.  I could hear both my heartbeat and the baby's, which is a lot faster than mine.  The doctor said it sounded strong and normal, so that was a relief. 

I'm starting to show a little bit, especially after meals when my little buddha belly comes out to say hello.  I've got a couple pairs of pants that I can't zip or button, so I'm thinking my belly band is going to come in handy soon.  I've been trying to wear dresses or skirts because they're more comfortable and in this heat, that's really all I want, comfort.

We made the ultrasound appointment to find out the sex... 9/8.  We could have done a blood test this week for $400, but we decided to practice our patience.  Plus, I can think of a lot more things to buy with $400 than a needle prick to my arm :-)

Belly pics to come soon! 

Baby Mooren's First Photo Shoot

This was at 8 weeks and 5 days (June 17th), which is why the baby resembles a gummy bear.  The bright light on here is just the flash from my camera.  If you look really hard you can make out the head, arms and legs.

Guess Who's In Charge Now

"Here's a hint, it's not you."  That's what the card said that I gave to Damon after I found out I was pregnant.  Ironically, the day I found out was exactly 5 years to the day from the first time Damon and I hung out.  I didn't realize that until later, but that's pretty cool.

Before we got married we always knew we wanted to have a family.  The question was always, "when?"  It's a hard question to answer because as I've been told and read, you're never really ready.  Another way to spin that though is that anytime is a great time.  We decided it was time when we were in Italy, the Trevi fountain in Rome, to be exact.

The trip wasn't meant to be our last hoorah or anything, but during that trip we just realized, what are we waiting for?  Sure, we could wait until we had more money, or a house instead of a condo, or until we were some magic age.  But for what?  We've got each other and a decent sense of humor, that should be enough, right?  So far that has proved to be more than enough. 

I feel blessed to have dodged morning sickness and mood swings (so far).  The exhaustion isn't horrible, I love my bed, so going to sleep earlier isn't so bad.  Damon has been great with helping out, even more than usual, around the house and not letting me lift anything -- even though I totally can he just won't let me.  It's been hard not telling everyone, but as the 1st trimester comes to an end, Damon and I are enjoying sharing the news with family and friends.

I've got my next appointment on Friday, but probably won't have another ultrasound until 20 weeks.  At which point we can, and most definitely will, be finding out the sex of the baby.  I know it's cliche but I really don't care if it's a boy or a girl, I just want a happy, healthy baby. 

My baby brain made me forget the ultrasound pics that I was going to scan and post, but I will do that hopefully this week.   For now, I'll just share Gnarly's way of announcing the news.

Love, love, love...

The title of this blog, as well as this post, comes from The Beatles song "All You Need Is Love."  That same song was the processional at our wedding and will forever spark the memory of the beach, the sun, smiling faces and a snapshot of, what I consider to be, one of the best days of my life.

Sure, there were plenty of momentous occasions and monumental occurrences in our lives leading up to our wedding day, but the way I see it, February 9, 2008 was the start of my life as I now know it... a partner, a wife, a best friend.

The amazing thing is, that as picture perfect and memorable as that day was, we've already created other amazing memories and fun times with each other, with our families and with our friends.  Now we're both excited to continue to make new memories with another momentous occasion... the arrival of our first child.  Baby Mooren is scheduled to make his or her debut on or about 1/22/11.  We couldn't be happier.

I've heard and read so many stories about how hard it is, yet how rewarding it is and with that, I refer back to the trusty Beatles and their song lyrics, "love is all you need."

I'm excited to share the experiences of the growing Mooren family with our family and friends near and far.  If you are far away, I hope that this blog helps you feel a little bit closer.  I'll do my best to keep up with updates (blogs and photos).  I'm happy to have such supportive and loving family and friends to share this with, especially my husband.  Thank you Damon, for everything.