pregnancy has taught my husband...

If you missed Part 1: 20 things pregnancy has taught me, check it out here!

As I wrote the Part 1 post, I began wondering what my husband had learned so far from this whole pregnancy thing. I asked him about it and he said he could easily give me 10 things he's learned (instead of the 20 that I did). As he was writing, he did ask if he would get in trouble for anything he wrote. That made me laugh. I (think) that I've had a pretty good sense of humor about all the changes my body is going through so far...crying and all!

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1. Don’t watch sad movies...or tell sad stories...avoid ALL sad situations if possible! We found out early that pregnancy hormones do some crazy things to the female cry factory! I try to sensor the emotional things that Courtney comes across, but sometimes there’s just no avoiding it. 

2. Get ready to go to Kroger! We have definitely noticed an increase in our grocery bill lately. Little Crew is a hungry little fella! The good side of frequent Kroger trips is that I always have a steady supply of Lucky Charms and it gives me an excuse to buy extra junk food for me!

3. Be a helper. Carrying an extra person takes its toll on a body, so men, always be ready to lend a helping hand. Some days Courtney feels great, others she can hardly stay awake. I've learned to just be prepared to help out as much as possible!

4. Be flexible. I’m am weird when it comes to my stuff and the space for my stuff. I have (or had) special little places for all my favorite items from duck calls to baseball hats...but with babies comes change. Since most of my stuff was stored in the room where Crew’s nursery is soon to be, I've learned that the time has come for my stuff to hit the road. Good news is I still have a man cave (garage) with room to spare!

5. Adjust your schedule. Courtney and I are pretty social people, but with lower energy levels and all that good stuff Courtney has found much needed rest by simply spending a lot of nights at home. I've learned that social outings with friends have to take second place to taking care of the Mrs.

6. Take good pictures. There is no greater misdeed than to take a blurry picture of a pregnant lady! For some reason about eighty percent of the pictures I take for her weekly "bumpdates" come out blurry, but I’m getting there! By the end of this nine months I think I’ll have all this photography stuff worked out.

7. Body pillows are AWESOME! As Courtney was introducing me to the body pillow, I was convinced that this was just a silly pregnancy thing that we didn't need. Well, it seems that most nights there is a battle for who ends up sleeping on the body pillow! Those things are incredibly comfortable. If we ever get a king size bed, I just might get one of my own...might even get a dog sized one for Remi!

8. Walk slow. About halfway through the pregnancy Courtney always would say that she couldn't breathe. At first I thought it was a "figmentation of her imagination," but it turns out that being pregnant really does make it hard to breathe. When we take walks in the evenings we end up walking a third of the distance in about three times the time!

9. Be thankful. For some reason, I have always been scared that we would have a hard time having kids. Before we got pregnant, we read so many blogs about people struggling to have kids, and we had so many fears and doubts that pregnancy would come easy to us. We have been so incredibly blessed with this pregnancy and the health of Baby K so far. God is so good and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think Him for the new life that He has blessed us with. Know that our sympathies and prayers go out to all those who are struggling with pregnancy.

10. Enjoy every moment. There are so many changes and expectations that come with pregnancy, especially your first. I've learned to simply let it all soak in. These moments are so precious and I am so thankful to share this time with my beautiful bride. God has blessed me with an incredible family and I am very, very thankful. 

25 weeks

How far along are you?

25 weeks!

How big is Baby?

He's the size of a cauliflower (Again, these food comparisons from thebump don't seem to make any sense.) - His sense of equilibrium is kicking in and he's learning to distinguish right side up from upside down - He's between 13.6-14.8 inches long and weighs about 1.5 lbs. - He's growing more hair that now has color - He's plumping up with baby fat!

Weight Gain?

16 lbs.

 Gender?

a boy!

Crew William Kassner

Maternity Clothes?

Of course - I've found some pretty good deals lately on eBay

Stretch Marks?

not on my belly

 Sleep?

Can't complain

Symptoms?

Mainly just rib discomfort because it keeps "popping out" on my right side. I went to the chiropractor again this week and always feel so much better afterwards.

Movement?

He's getting stronger each week. As I sit at my desk at work, I can watch my belly bounce all around. He's so active all the time! He still hangs out pretty low most of the time which means he likes to kick my bladder a lot. He hasn't found my ribs yet.

Food Cravings/Aversions?

Strawberries and bananas - I'm on the juice kick again. At our most recent grocery trip, I wanted every kind of juice I saw. (White grape peach is so good!)

I haven't had Mexican in about 2 weeks so I'm not sure if it still makes me feel bad or not.

Labor Signs?

no

Belly Button in or out?

flat

What I miss?

Being more "agile" when bending down or getting up from sitting on the floor!

What I am looking forward to?

Relaxing on the beach

Not looking forward to being away from Will though

Best moment of the week?

Will got ordained last Sunday!

(Still working on that blog post - I'm having technical issues with my new SD card!)

Daddy’s feeling?

"Excited that Crew will be here soon! I love working on the nursery and thinking about our soon-to-arrive little boy!"

If you missed weeks 12-24 bumpdates, check them out here!

Weekend Recap - Ordination

I've been wishing all morning that today could be Saturday part 2 to make up for how tired yesterday made me. This weekend was Will's ordination weekend and I'll be doing a separate post on that with more pictures.

Friday night we ate dinner with my family. I've been craving spaghetti so my mom made some for dinner and it hit the spot!

Saturday we had ZERO plans all day. I don't remember the last time that happened. It was nice, but I also kept telling Will that I was bored or saying, "Now what to do you want to do?" Will went fishing, we went to a few estate sales, got some more nursery primer at Lowe's, took a nap and went on two walks with the dogs. I love days that I can just spend with Will and our pups.

 Remi loves the body pillow

On Sunday night Will was ordained at our home church. It was so special because our (current) pastor got to be there to speak along with the pastor we grew up listening to. We love them both so much and were so lucky to have them there to speak to/ordain Will. Like I said, I'll be doing a separate post on this tomorrow. We had so many family members and friends there supporting us and it just made us both so happy. We are so lucky and blessed by the people we have in our lives.

Hope you had a great weekend too! We'll be spending the week preparing for Will's big trip to Africa!

boy behind the blog : 1

When I saw this link-up today I knew I had to join in. I love getting Will involved in the blog!...He actually currently owes me 2 posts! Unfortunately, since I didn't see the link-up until today, his answers are short and sweet since he emailed me back while at work. Either way, I'm excited for this link-up and will definitely be more prepared next month!

Now onto Will's questions...

1. Does your wife use your real name or nickname on the blog?

Real name

2. If you had a blog, what would the title be?

The Kazz Life

3. Do you ever feel ignored by her because of the blog?

Nope! She includes me a lot in all things 'bloggy'

4. How has her blog changed or evolved throughout your relationship?

Her blog has become a lot more family focused...mostly because of our baby coming in October!

5. What is your favorite post on her blog?

We did a post about things we've learned from being married. That one is definitely one of my favorites!

Check it out here!

You can also see some of my favorite posts that Will has written below!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Joy Comes in the Morning

Holiday Perspective

Let's Face It

It Is Finished

Will's World's Greatest Sandwich

What My Husband Thinks About Me

24 weeks

For my own sake, I need to account for this week's puffy face! In my defense (or what I keep telling myself) we took this pic so early this morning before work. I still had sleepy eyes and everything! I've said the whole pregnancy that I don't want to get the puffy pregnancy face, but I think it's inevitable!

How far along are you?

24 weeks! Didn't I just write the 20 week post?

How big is Baby?

He is as big as a cantaloupe - He's gained 4oz. since last week - His skin is still pretty see-through, but is becoming more opaque as the fat is starting to fill in - His lungs are developing branches of the respiratory tree and surfactant that will help him breathe once he's born

Weight Gain?

16 lbs. total as of yesterday's doc appointment

 Gender?

a sweet little boy!

Maternity Clothes?

Of course - I still feel like I wear the same things over and over, but what can ya do?

Stretch Marks?

none on my belly - I've got some on my chest and also some on my hips (that were there pre-pregnancy)

 Sleep?

It's been a little difficult lately so I've been pretty tired. I decided this week that sugar and caffeine affect my body much differently now than pre-pregnancy so I need to be more careful of what I'm eating/drinking in the afternoon and at night. Hopefully this will help improve my sleep.

Symptoms?

My legs are rebelling this week between the leg cramps and restlessness at night time. I read that leg cramps during pregnancy could be due to not being hydrated enough so I am trying to drink even more water. I also asked my doctor about it at yesterday's appointment and he said the cramps could be from not having enough calcium so he gave me some supplements.

Movement?

All the time! I love feeling his movements and seeing them on my belly. They're getting stronger and stronger each week. According to What to Expect, he'll be the most active between 24-28 weeks, before he starts running out of room!

Food Cravings/Aversions?

Strawberries, bananas, blackberries always sound good. I've been wanting pasta/spaghetti this week too...oh, and Chik-fil-A milkshakes!

I hate to even admit this because I love Mexican food SO much, but it has made me feel pretty yucky the past two times we've eaten it. Hopefully that won't last long though.

Labor Signs?

No

Belly Button in or out?

In

What I miss?

nothing

What I am looking forward to?

Will is getting ordained on Sunday night!

Best moment of the week?

24 week appointment - got to hear his little heartbeat again! (144bpm)

Daddy’s feeling?

"Can't stop laughing at how stubborn Crew is! Even at the doctor yesterday he was kicking the heart rate monitor! He's already a funny kid!"

In case you missed it, check out weeks 12-23 bumpdates here!

pregnancy has taught me...

Oh, the joys of pregnancy. Some of them are exciting and fun, others are painful or irritating, but they all lead to one thing and that is the joy of bringing a baby into this world. Sure, I've got about 15-16 weeks to go until that happens, but I've already learned so much about the preggo life.

What have I learned exactly? Well let's see...

1. It's ok to say no - It took me a while to realize this. Our week nights are typically packed with going to dinner with other couples or volunteering with church events. I love all of those things, but some most nights I am just too tired. After a full work day, nothing sounds better than just relaxing at home and getting some rest. My body gets tired much easier now than before and I've finally become ok with saying no and staying home!

2. I never knew I could have such a high heart rate while standing still! Whew! A pounding heart and shortness of breath, what's not to love?! I can't tell you how many times a day I tell Will that I can't breathe. For a while I'm pretty sure he thought I was crazy because I would just be standing in the kitchen when I said it or lying in bed. It's definitely been something to get used to!

3. Leg cramps are not your friend. I remember at the beginning of the pregnancy I heard/read several things about leg cramps during pregnancy. I didn't really think anything of it until the last few weeks. Ouch! A majority of my night in bed is spent either trying not to move at all or moving at a snail's pace when changing positions in order to not make my calf tighten up.

4. If you really want to make your husband (and anyone around you) think you're cray cray, cry about anything and everything. It works, I promise. Pregnancy hormones are just one of the things I seem to not have any control over. Really, I've cried about accidentally scratching my husband, Taco Bell, and Subaru commercials. Wow.

5. Want to play a game? Try mixing a full bladder with an active/kicking baby and see how long you can hold it. Really, try it. I remember the first time I felt Baby K actually kick my bladder. I thought I was going to lose it. Literally.

6. On the topic of bladders, I've grown very accustomed to frequenting any and every bathroom. Before becoming pregnant, my husband used to say I have an "iron bladder" because, well, you get the picture. But now, I'm considering moving my desk at work into the bathroom permanently with as much as I'm in there.

7. The baby bump is a hand magnet. So far, I haven't had any strangers come up and touch my belly, but I've still got 16 weeks to go and a lot more growing to do. With that being said, I haven't minded people touching my belly at all (because they haven't been strangers). I love my baby and my bump so I'm happy to let people rub the buddha belly. We'll see if I still feel the same way once 40 weeks gets closer.

8. Maternity clothes are the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me. I drug my feet for so long to buy maternity pants which was the worst decision I've made. Maternity pants are awesome. End of story. On the other hand, why are maternity clothes so expensive?! It's frustrating to basically have to buy a whole new wardrobe once the bump starts growing. I've already told my husband that the next time we have a baby we need to try to make it so that I'm pregnant for at least part of the Summer since I already have Summer maternity clothes. I wouldn't want to buy a Winter wardrobe too!

9. People are opinionated. Everyone has their own idea of what they think is best for your baby. Sure, I may be begging for advice/help later, but this is my opinion for now. The major thing we've heard many opinions on is the fact that we've chosen to cloth diaper our baby. I've heard everything from "that's disgusting," "you'll never last," "why on earth would you want to do that?," and "cloth diapers are too expensive." I'm not going state my arguments now, but our decision is our decision. If we give up on cloth diapering later, then I give you permission to say a big ol' "I told ya so!"

10. You're hungry when you're hungry and you're hungry when you're not. Huh? Maybe it's just me, but even when I don't feel hungry and nothing sounds good, I could eat for two. This really just applies to second trimester because during the first I didn't feel like eating much of anything. I ate so much food the other day and felt SO FULL, but by about 30 minutes later I was searching for more food (cookies) in our pantry.

11. I've got the nose of a bloodhound. Will has mentioned that he doesn't much care for my pregnancy nose because I can smell everything.

12. Pregnancy brain is real. I find myself forgetting what I was doing and talking about all the time now. I forget words and lose my train of thought. Sometimes I feel like I have short term memory loss. It's weird and annoying and I just hope it goes away after Baby K is here.

13. Veins like to make an appearance during pregnancy. This is one of the less attractive things about being pregnant I think. I've got veins visibly covering my chest and some on my belly. I've managed to stay away from spider veins for now.

14. Nesting is weird. I had never heard of nesting pre-pregnancy. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened to me though. I find myself wanting to clean and organize everything. It's kind of nice being so productive though and I'm embracing it with my second trimester energy!

15. Having a helpful husband can make all the difference. Will has been so helpful during the entire pregnancy...especially during the first trimester when all I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't do laundry for weeks at a time, but there was never a time our laundry got behind because Will was there picking up my slack!

16. You will get a vertical line on your stomach, aka "linea negra." I had no idea I had the preggo line until a few weeks ago when a friend pointed it out to me. I didn't know because I couldn't see the bottom half of my belly!

17. You'll never want to sleep on your back more than when you're pregnant. Once you reach your second trimester it's recommended that you don't sleep on your back because of blood flow issues from your legs to the baby. I have never been a back sleeper, but I find myself wanting nothing more than to sleep lying flat now. I'm tired of sleeping on my side!...so are my hips and shoulders!

18. Good sleep becomes a thing of the past. I've always been able to go to sleep fast and to sleep long and hard...until about week 15 of pregnancy. Between the leg cramps, restless legs and my mind thinking about a million "baby" things at once, I don't get much quality sleep these days. By the way, telling your brain to stop thinking about things and go to sleep absolutely does not help.

19. I've got a peach fuzz belly. I don't think anyone would notice this "symptom" unless I pointed it out. My husband didn't even notice. But my belly has developed a coating of "peach fuzz" hair since becoming pregnant. Luckily my hair is blonde so you can't really tell.

20. Feeling your baby kick and flip around makes 1-19 all worth it. Sure there are symptoms that I would choose to do without if I could, but it's all apart of the gift of life and I will take anything that's handed to me for my sweet baby. Sometimes I lose sleep because of his nighttime activities, but it is all worth it. It just makes me that more excited to meet our baby boy.

Was this the longest post ever, or what? I'm sure I could go on and on but I'll spare you.
Up next: what pregnancy has taught my husband (this should be interesting!)

Weekend Recap - Father's Day

We had a pretty nice, relaxing weekend. We met up with Tyler and Amanda Friday night for some Jerry's Sno Cones. Yum!

On Saturday, Will worked all morning so that meant I got to sleep in...which was needed and appreciated! That afternoon we went to Lowe's to get paint samples for the baby nursery and I can't wait to see how they look on the wall! I'm still having so much trouble deciding what fabrics I want to use for the crib/curtains, but maybe seeing the paint on the wall will help.

Saturday night we went to my parents' for a Father's Day dinner. It was nice spending time with the fam!

I am so thankful for my Daddy-O and how impactful he has been on my life! Crew told me he can't wait to meet his Poppy!

Sunday morning we went to church. The entire time we were standing up singing, Crew was kicking away. I think he loved the music. I got a little emotional thinking about our baby boy. My main hope and prayer for him is that he grows up loving the Lord and accepting Christ as his Savior one day. I couldn't help but get teary-eyed just thinking about it! 

 After church Will and I went to lunch and stopped by an estate sale on the way home. I'm on the hunt for unique/vintage things for the nursery. I ended up getting a vintage decorative pillow for $1 that I think might end up in Crew's room. Will got a vintage gas can for $5 that he was pretty excited about.

Yesterday afternoon Will started priming the nursery. Our spare bedroom was a bright fire engine red previously. I lived in this house all throughout college and this was the color my first roommate painted it. It took 8 coats of paint to get that red on the wall so I never wanted to change it until we were ready to paint for a baby. I knew it'd be hard to cover up the red. Will got one coat of primer on the walls, but it's going to need a second one!

Remi, Ginger and I were hanging out keeping Will company while he painted, but the fumes were getting too strong so we had to go to another room. Whew!

Bye bye red walls!

Will's audience :)

We are also trying to sell the bedroom suite on Craigslist this week which is why there's a bare mattress. We've got a lot of rearranging/organizing to do before Crew gets here. Will had been using the closet in this room for his clothes too. We emptied out the room and ended up putting so much stuff in the attic. I can't wait till the room is filled with Crew and all his baby things!

Remi, Ginger and Crew got Will some of his favorite things from Target for Father's Day along with Father's Day cards. I think he liked it all! He's going to be such a good daddy to Crew!

I took this last night while Will was in his "man cave" cleaning his gun and Remi stood watch. Love my boys!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

23 weeks

How far along are you?

23 weeks! 17 (or less!) to go

How big is Baby?

He's the size of a grapefruit. (Is it just me or does it seem like this week's food comparison - from thebump - has gone down in size? I don't understand how they figure these things.) He's about 11.8 inches long - His face is fully formed. He just needs some 'baby fat' to fill it out now - He can hear my heartbeat and things like dogs barking. Supposedly, noises like dogs and vacuums will startle him less once he's born because he's already gotten used to them inside the womb - Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing

Weight Gain?

7 lbs. as of 20 week appointment

 Gender?

a boy!

Maternity Clothes?

Still loving the Old Navy tanks - I also got two maternity tankini tops from eBay (Liz Lange and Motherhood), but they made me so, so hot. Not sure how much I'll be wearing those this Summer.

Stretch Marks?

some on my chest

 Sleep?

Can't complain. Will has been better about leaving my body pillow alone. I still wake up for bathroom breaks, but it usually doesn't take too long to get back to sleep.

Symptoms?

Something else I can't complain about. I've been feeling really good lately other than a few minor things. - Leg cramps - I'm hot all the time - Always thirsty - Sometimes at the end of the day I can feel exactly where Crew is in my belly because it's harder than the rest of my stomach. It's a little painful when he's pushing up against my belly (mostly just if I'm standing), but I love being able to feel him!

Movement?

Yes, all the time! In the past few weeks, he's found my bladder and seems to enjoy kicking it...which can be kind of scary with a full bladder! Ha! I'm also beginning to feel more than just the kicks. I guess what I'm feeling is him stretching? It's such a different feeling and I don't know how to describe it!

Last night I was reading a book and had it resting on my belly. All of the sudden the book started bouncing up and down from Crew kicking it. Guess he doesn't like being a book "shelf!" Will and I just started watching my belly move all around. I put my hand exactly where all the movements were and felt him! I jerked my hand off so quick because I was in shock that I had just touched our baby. Will felt him too and it was just so crazy. We think we were feeling either a knee or a foot. The rest of the night I just kept thinking, "We just touched Crew. We just touched our baby." (like a crazy person) 

Food Cravings/Aversions?

Still no major cravings. I seem to never be in the mood for any certain type of food, but it's not an aversion.
Strawberries always sound good though! We bought a 4lb package at the grocery last night and I'm sure it'll be gone by the end of the week.

Labor Signs?

No

Belly Button in or out?

In, but looks much different than pre-pregnancy - Seems to be "flattening" out some

What I miss?

Having a lot of options when getting dressed. It's harder to dress for work than anywhere else and I feel like I wear the same thing over and over

What I am looking forward to?

Starting the nursery-hopefully this weekend!

Best moment of the week?

Going to the bay with friends last weekend
Will's "first" Father's Day will be on Sunday

Daddy’s feeling?

"Ready for Crew to get here! We spent the weekend with a friend's 2 year old and it definitely got me looking forward to having Crew around!"

I've also got to say how bad I feel for Will this week. He works outside and got into some poison ivy this past Monday. He is now COVERED in it. C O V E R E D. Anytime I get poison ivy, it's usually by transfer of Will so I have been washing laundry and sheets like crazy this week. I am so allergic to that mess (if you remember when I had it on my face) and have been threatening Will with his life. I am praying I don't get it too because pregnancy + poison ivy + Memphis heat just sounds like zero fun. (Also, I'm not sure what kinds of Rx medication I could even use being preggo and all.) Will is going to get a steroid shot this afternoon that will hopefully stop it from spreading any more than it already has. He slept in the floor in our room last night trying to reduce the risk of me (& Crew!) getting it. For the record, we have an extra bed I told him to sleep in, but he said "I want to be with my family!" (meaning me and the dogs) Hopefully his little pallet in the floor hasn't caused too much back pain for him today!

Weekend Recap - Baycation

We had such a fun weekend with friends! Some of our best friends have a house at 'the bay' in Maddox Bay, AR (a run-off of the White River). We haven't been able to go in 3-4 summers so we were excited about continuing the bay tradition this past weekend.

Fisher's first time on the jet ski!

It was also Roxanna's birthday weekend! Happy Birthday!!

I got this tankini top off eBay last week. I wore a bikini the first day, but thought I'd try out the new suit on Sunday. It fit good, but made me SO. HOT. The water was still soooo cold after all the recent rain. I only got in once on Saturday to cool off...and didn't stay in long either! The water hurt it was so cold! (23 weeks preggo)

 I feel like I should also mention the two bald spots on Will's chest...haha. He went for a check-up/physical a few weeks ago in preparation for his upcoming trips to Africa and China and they decided to do an EKG. I guess the sticky pads wouldn't stick so the nurse solved that problem! Poor Will!

Our babies stayed at my parents house this weekend and came back exhausted. Remi LOVES my parents' big backyard and just runs nonstop while he's there. It'll take him a few days to recover!

Hope you had a great weekend!

rainy days

I had to document Remi's muddy self after all the rain we got last Saturday. He's a mess!

At least someone enjoyed playing in the rain!

22 weeks

How far along are you?

22 weeks!

How big is Baby?

He is as big as a papaya - He weighs about one pound and is 11-12 inches long - His pancreas is developing - He sleeps 12-14 hours a day - His eyes are formed, but the iris (colored part) still lacks pigment

Weight Gain?

7 lbs.

 Gender?

a boy!

Maternity Clothes?

Yes, I added some basic tank tops and shorts to the collection this week and am hoping those make it easier to get through a summer pregnancy!

Stretch Marks?

no

 Sleep?

It's been so-so lately. I still wake up several times a night for several different reasons. The newest reason is because Will has discovered how comfy the body pillow is and usually tries to hog it in his sleep. Grr! He's such a heavy sleeper that he never even wakes up with all the pushing and shoving from me!

Symptoms?
achy joints and leg cramps at night

Movement?

Wow. Yes. He moves so much and it seems to be increasing each week!

Food Cravings/Aversions?

No cravings lately. No aversions either - sometimes I could eat anything and everything and sometimes nothing sounds good.

Labor Signs?

no

Belly Button in or out?

in

What I miss?

Sleeping through the night and clothes that fit well

What I am looking forward to?

Going out of town with friends this weekend

Best moment of the week?
As I was running errands for work yesterday, so many random people commented on me being pregnant. It's exciting that people can now definitely tell that I'm expecting - they sure haven't been afraid to say it! I still haven't worked up the courage to play a joke on them by saying that I'm not pregnant because I don't want to see the horrified/embarrassed look on their faces! 

Daddy’s feeling?

"More excited every day! It's awesome to see and feel him kicking all the time!"

In case you missed it:
Check out weeks 12-21 bumpdates!