21 weeks

How far along are you?

21 weeks! I can't believe it

How big is Baby?

He's as big as a pomegranate - He weighs 3/4 of a pound and is about 10.5 inches long - He's developed eyebrows and lids - His digestive system is producing meconium

Weight Gain?

As of 20 week appointment, I have gained a total of 7 lbs. (1 lb. a week since 16 weeks)

 Gender?

A BOY! Crew William Kassner

Maternity Clothes?

Yes - about half and half. Some days after I've gotten dressed our bedroom looks like a tornado has gone through it with all the clothes on the floor. I've gotten pretty frustrated the past week over non-maternity clothes that I thought would fit, but just didn't. 

Stretch Marks?

No

 Sleep?

It's been so-so. Definitely still better than a few weeks ago, but I wake up with sore hips from sleeping on my side so much.

Symptoms?

Shortness of breath - I can just be standing in the kitchen cooking and have to sit down because I feel like I have to catch my breath. Such a weird feeling!

Sore hips/shoulders in the mornings from sleeping
So thirsty at nighttime!

Other than that, I'm feeling great!

Movement?

ALL. THE. TIME. I love it. I feel him moving around all day when I'm at work. Will and I laid in bed the other night I just felt all his little (strong) kicks and punches. He finally showed off when Will felt my belly and even let my Mom feel him kick this week! I was feeling my belly for him the other day and it felt like he was stretching or something. It wasn't a kick, more like just a steady movement across my stomach. So crazy thinking about how active he is in there! Sometimes I can feel where he's at on my belly because one side or area feels really hard (& hurts a little!) - like I have a 6-pack! I can tell that he wakes up with me every time I get up for a bathroom break in the middle of the night. When I get back in bed, he's kicking away and it takes him a little while to go back to sleep, like me!

Food Cravings/Aversions?

I craved a ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins last Friday only because someone at work mentioned one and then I had to have it. We went and got a really small mint chocolate chip cake after work that day! I've also been going through 2 lbs. of strawberries a week.

Labor Signs?

No

Belly Button in or out?

In - Though it looks much different than it did pre-pregnancy

What I miss?

Nothing, really -- maybe fitting into clothes!

What I am looking forward to?

Finally found out that I get to go on family vacation this Summer! I was unsure if I would have any vacation days, but luckily I do! The only thing I'm not looking forward to that week is Will being out of the country in Africa. He'll be going with a group from our church, coming back for 5 days and then going to China. I know he is looking forward these exciting opportunities, but me and the dogs will sure miss him! Hopefully being at the beach in SC will take my mind off of worrying about him being gone!

Also looking forward to meeting Crew! After reading Tiffany's birth story, I just got more and more excited for October to be here so we can meet our sweet baby!

Best moment of the week?

Feeling such strong kicks and punches on a regular basis now & starting to notice his sleep schedule or what makes him active

Seeing my brother-in-law and sis-in-law while they were in town last weekend
We got our jogging stroller!

Daddy’s feeling?
"Feeling great! Love feeling Crew kick and excited to take him for a jog in the new stroller!"

In case you missed it:
Click here for other bumpdates!

Weekend Recap - Memorial Day

Wow. What a weekend. I know I say those exact words basically every week, but I mean it this time. I am WORN OUT. I feel like we went non-stop all weekend long.

Friday night was such a special night because Will got his Masters Degree from seminary! I am so so proud of him! There will be a whole post on this later this week, but here's a pic for now!

Will's older brother and sister-in-law came in town for Will's graduation weekend so on Saturday-Monday, we spent time with them. We love when they come in town! We spent Saturday by the pool and indulged in some Memphis favorites - Corky's BBQ and Jerry's. YUM.

Will's graduation present from his parents was the jogging stroller he wanted for himself and Baby K. We're so excited and can't wait until there's a baby in there...not a dog! Ginger approved of the stroller and really enjoyed being pushed around like a princess!

On Sunday after church we went to the zoo. It was hot and crowded. I feel like we walked 10 miles...though I know that's not technically correct! I could just feel my hands and feet swelling with all the heat. I definitely got my exercise for the week! Regardless of my complaining, we had a great time with the family. Luckily my sweet husband was there to carry my bag (or myself) and walk at a snails pace with me towards the end! I was dragging! Our zoo visit was followed by Huey's and Sheridans. Yum!

Matt and Jeana had to drive back home early yesterday afternoon so we met them for lunch at Newk's before they left. Yesterday afternoon was spent recovering from our busy weekend. I was (and still am) so tired. My family came over last night and my dad made his famous homemade pizzas. 5 of them, to be exact!  They were so good as usual. 

I am looking forward to just a 4 day work week!...especially after all the food we ate this weekend. WHEW!

I had to share this IG picture from last week. We got Remi and Ginger a new bag of dog bones. Remi was pouting because Ginger's bone was somehow better than his...even though they were the exact same! So dramatic!

free fonts: scripts

These are my favorite fonts of all...mostly because these are the "handwriting" fonts. I think some of these mimic my handwriting at different times so I use them a lot. What are your favorite script/handwriting fonts?

centeria script | pea roxygirl | janda stylish script | pea hurry up beck | pea sean | soymilk |

morado sharp | haiku's script

20 weeks

How far along are you?

20 weeks - I cannot believe I'm already halfway through the pregnancy! Maybe more than half if he decides to come early (or less than half if he's late, but I'm not thinking about that!)

How big is Baby?

He's as long as a banana - He weighs 10.5 ounces and is 10 inches from head to heel. (He'll now be measured from head to heel instead of head to bottom) - His taste buds are developed and he can now taste things that I'm eating via amniotic fluid. Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had while in the womb. When I read this to Will he said, "Great. He's going to be a picky eater." I'm going to do my best to be sure he's not picky like his momma!

Weight Gain?

I only check my weight at doctor's appointments. As of 16 week appointment, I was up 3 lbs. total since the beginning. I go back to the doctor tomorrow and I'm positive I've gained more weight. Every Sunday on the drive home from church I read my weekly email from thebump.com out loud to Will. This week's email said, "the weight gain has just barely begun." How encouraging, right? Ha!

 Gender?

It's a boy!

Maternity Clothes?

Yes - I have several shirts and capris/pants/shorts that I've been wearing. Still loving any kind of comfy dress. 

Stretch Marks?

No

 Sleep?

It's been so much better. I only had one day last week that I didn't sleep good and that was probably because of things that my mind wouldn't stop worrying about. Such an improvement over 7 nights of bad sleep a week that I had been getting. I definitely recommend a body pillow!

Symptoms?

back pain, back pain & back pain...so glad my chiropractic appointment is tomorrow too. I can tell I'm carrying much more weight in my belly than usual because of the lower back pain. - my face still breaks out unfortunately - Thirst! I'm so thirsty all the time...especially right before bed which doesn't help to lower my bathroom trips each night.

Movement?

YES - He moves so much and, like I mentioned last week, the kicks are getting stronger. I can see little thumps on my belly when I'm laying down. He also finally let Will and I feel his soccer kicks this past weekend.

Food Cravings/Aversions?

Not craving anything this week so far. I think the grape juice craving is gone...for now.

Labor Signs?

No

Belly Button in or out?

In

What I miss?

I don't know if this really counts as "missing" it because I never did this pre-pregnancy, but I want to sleep on my back! I've never been a back sleeper, but it feels so comfortable now...I'm trying hard to make myself stay on one side or the other. Sometimes I wake up on my back though. 

What I am looking forward to?

Still excited to start on the nursery - 20 week appointment tomorrow and I can hopefully hear his heartbeat again

Best moment of the week?

Will graduates with his Masters from seminary this week! I am so proud of him! - My brother-in-law and sis-in-law are coming in town and I'm looking forward to seeing them. - My middle brother, Cody, turns 21 this week! How is he so old?!

Thoughts?
After such a hot weekend, I'm wondering how I'm ever going to survive a Summer pregnancy in Memphis. Boy, oh boy.

Also, maybe I'm the only one who thinks about this, but I always wondered who would be the first random person to ask if I'm pregnant and when they would ask. Well, last week I had someone come up to me and say, "So are you expecting?" Guess the baby bump is officially noticeable.

Daddy’s feeling?
"Feeling excited! I watched Bambi to get ready for all the Disney movies we'll be watching soon!"

In case  you missed it:

19 weeks     15 weeks

18 weeks     14 weeks

17 weeks     13 weeks

16 weeks     12 weeks

Weekend Recap - bundt cake belly

We had such a relaxing weekend. I always love when we can just stay home and check things off our to-do list. A majority of Saturday was spent cleaning up after our washing machine decided to flood some of the house last Thursday. Thankfully, it was a minor fix and we're back in business. I had to wash every towel in our house after we used them to soak up all the water. Glad that's over with.

Before our Friday night walk with the dogs - I'm going to need to raid Will's t-shirt drawer pretty soon.

Since my belly is starting to look like a bundt cake these days, I figured why not make one! Sad to say this pound cake is gone already...

Will and Colin went fishing on Saturday morning. It was such a beautiful day!

While they were gone, I gave Ginger a much-needed Summer cut! I know she feels better without all that extra fur!

After Will got home Saturday, he told me he "just wanted to sit in the hammock" for a few minutes. I go inside and come back 5 minutes later and find him like this. Guess he was tired!

After church Sunday we spent the afternoon outside with the dogs again. I tried to get some sun on my pale winter skin, but didn't last long because it was so hot. The shade felt great though!

I can't believe Remi didn't make this post! Guess he was too busy running around all weekend that I didn't get a picture of him. I had such a great weekend just relaxing with my little family and dreaming of the days that we get to spend with Baby K! We're halfway there!

20 down, 20 to go!

free fonts: basic

I'm a sucker for a good font. I hate most of the fonts that come installed on Microsoft programs...especially Papyrus. (and don't even get me started on Comic Sans!) I'm always searching for new fonts and have loved using different ones on my weekly bumpdate photos. 

Sooo today I wanted to share some of my favorite free fonts, beginning with just your basic type fonts.The next two posts will be script and decorative fonts. These were all downloaded for free off of various websites and I've tried to site them all. Are there any basic fonts you love that I don't have on this list? Is anyone else as font-obsessed as me?

aracne | cafe and brewery | champagne & limousines | simplicity | walkway condensed

windsor hand | problems | caviar dreams

19 weeks

How far along are you?

19 weeks - I cannot believe that on Sunday I'll be halfway through this pregnancy. It is flying by!
I know I say this every week, but for real this time, my stomach is getting huge! It feels like the jump from 18 to 19 weeks is when my belly really grew. According to Will last night, "That thing like doubled overnight." Thannnkkss. It just means Crew is a growing machine!

How big is Baby?

He is as big as a mango - He's about 6 inches from head to bottom (legs aren't included in measurement yet) and 8.5 ounces - His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, touch, vision, taste and hearing.

Weight Gain?

+ 3 lbs. as of 16 week appointment though I feel like it'll be more by the time I go to the doc next week.

 Gender?

It's a boy!

Maternity Clothes?

Yes and loving them. My parents got me some maternity pants for Mother's Day and I wore a pair to work on Monday. SO comfy! I'm also loving any kind of cotton sundress.

Stretch Marks?

Not yet...

 Sleep?

Hopefully looking up! I told you that I got the Leacho Snoogle pillow on Sunday from my parents and it's been great so far. I've been much more comfortable the past few nights and hope this continues to help! Now if I can just get Remi to believe that he's a dog and not a human that needs to sleep with his head on our pillows, we'll be good! Spoiled rotten!

Symptoms?

Headaches every few days (an improvement from a few weeks ago) - still breaking out some on my face - back pain - round ligament pain once or twice a week (always on the left side and at the end of the day) - I told Will this week that I feel like my skin on my stomach is stretched to the max already...with 21 weeks to go! - lightheaded/out of breath when standing still for even just a few minutes 

Movement?

Yes! I feel him all the time now and can definitely tell he's getting bigger and stronger. If we try and feel his movements with our hand, he stops kicking until we take our hand off. Last night he was kicking extra hard and I could see the little thumps on my belly. It was pretty cool, but of course when I told Will to look, Crew quit kicking. Little stinker.

Food Cravings/Aversions?

Still loving grape juice - preferably purple!

No aversions

Labor Signs?

no

Belly Button in or out?

in

What I miss?

Same as always...getting a good night's sleep

What I am looking forward to?

Starting his nursery (hopefully) soon - Will and I both have been in the process of cleaning out closets to make more space.

Best moment of the week?

We registered last Saturday which was both fun and exhausting.

Looking forward to being at the halfway point on Sunday!

Daddy’s feeling?

"Feeling enlightened after learning so much from registering Saturday!! Hoping Crew likes all the stuff we picked out!"

Whoa baby!...literally!

In case you missed it:

18 weeks     15 weeks
17 weeks     14 weeks
16 weeks     13 weeks
12 weeks

Weekend Recap - Baby Registering

What a weekend! Our Saturday began with Will going fishing with my youngest brother, Colin and me getting some much needed sleep. I was able to sleep until 10am! 

Once Will got home, we went to Babies-R-Us to register, followed by Target. Talk about overwhelming. We didn't really do any research ahead of time on certain items and that probably wasn't a good thing. Also, who knew there were so many different styles/types of strollers to choose from?! Yikes. Luckily, I think we've picked out all the strollers we'll need, including a jogging stroller for Will. We ended up being at Babies-R-Us for 3 hours and Target for just 1 hour. Our registries still need some work, but it was exciting to go pick out so many cute things for Crew.

We may have overdone it on Saturday plans, but it was still a great day. After registering, we had about an hour to rest before heading to dinner with Tyler and Amanda at, you guessed it, El Porton. After dinner with them we went downtown to the Orpheum for Rock of Ages. It definitely was not our favorite show. I actually prefer the movie over the show...that never happens.

Sunday was Mother's Day and I woke up to gifts and cards from all my babies. (a.k.a.-Will, Remi, Ginger and Crew) Remi wasn't too interested though.

We went to church and then met Will's family at Aldo's Pizza Pies downtown for lunch. Delicious.

My view these days

 Will spoiled me yesterday and treated me so special for my "first" Mother's Day. I woke up to the smell of cinnamon rolls (which has actually become a regular thing on Sundays in our house thanks to him!) and his excited face as he gave me gifts that he picked out himself.

 I love that the bump is finally rounding out!

 Ginger is still mad at me for being pregnant I think. Can you tell? ;)

 This was one of the gifts Will got me and I had to test it out with Baby Ginger. She actually loved it which was weird. Will did so good picking this out! Can't wait till baby Crew is in there!

For dinner last night, we went to Cracker Barrel with my whole family and then back to my parents house for gifts.

This is my brother, Cody's, dog Montana. She was wanting a little attention I think so I took a pic with her. Cody is away for a few weeks with the Army so she's missing her daddy!

I am in desperate need of some sun.

 So glad I got to spend Mother's Day with my Mom and family! So blessed!

Nana & Papaw got this for Crew and Will loved it. I wonder why?

This cracks me up. Will's trying to push his belly out as big as mine.

For Mother's Day, my parents bought me the Snoogle body pillow. I was so SO excited. As soon as I saw it I started crying. Oops. They knew how bad I've been sleeping and that I wanted that pillow. I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed! I slept wonderfully. I only woke up when changing positions. I'm so thankful there weren't countless hours of me just lying there last night. Hopefully I can continue sleeping so well this week. Thanks Mom & Dad!

18 weeks

How far along are you?

18 weeks - almost halfway!

I feel like my belly is finally "rounding" out a little more

How big is Baby?

He's as big as a sweet potato - Weighs between 6-7 ounces and measures 5.5 inches long - He's busy flexing his arms & legs, yawning, hiccuping, rolling & twisting

Weight Gain? 

+3 lbs.

 Gender?

a sweet baby boy!

Maternity Clothes?

Still just shirts...although I need pants the worst. I have a few capri maternity pants, but have not worn them yet. I can "fit" in my normal jeans if I leave them unbuttoned! I'm hesitant to buy maternity jeans since I'll be pregnant throughout the summer. I put up all my winter clothes last weekend and now my closet is pretty empty because I wasn't able to take out but about 1/3 of my summer clothes.

Stretch Marks?

No

 Sleep?

Terrible - I wake up so many times during the night now and can't go back to sleep. My legs always feel restless which drives me crazy and I can never get comfortable. A few nights ago I felt like I was awake half the night because I couldn't stop worrying about the crib we pick out and if it will deliver in time. So random, but it made me lose some sleep for sure!

Symptoms?

I think my symptoms list is growing, but I still feel really good despite all of it.

leg/foot cramps at night - acid reflux that began last weekend. yuck. - (less frequent) headaches - back pain -  round ligament pain

Movement?

Yes - I feel him so often now and I love it

Food Cravings/Aversions?

Still no aversions - I've been craving grape juice for some reason. I never drank it pre-pregnancy, but it's been so good lately. Will went to the store yesterday before I got off work and bought me regular grape juice AND sparkling grape juice. Delicious. Still craving salsa.

Labor Signs?

no

Belly Button in or out?

in

What I miss?

Sleeping good and through the night :(

I've been looking at the body pillows, but haven't bought one yet. I keep telling Will that we desperately need a king size bed...especially if I get a body pillow AND we have the two dogs sleeping with us! I think part of the reason I don't sleep good is because I feel too crowded...but I feel too bad kicking the dogs out! Priorities, right? Ha! (P.S.-why can't money grow on trees?!)

What I am looking forward to?

Painting his nursery

Best moment of the week?

I THINK we picked out the colors/theme for Crew's nursery. I still have this fear that I'll get tired of whatever we do before Crew actually even arrives and I'll want to change it! Hopefully that's not the case. We also picked out the crib (I think). We are going to try and go register this Saturday which I'm pretty excited about. It's overwhelming thinking about all that we need to register for!

Daddy’s feeling?

"Can't wait for Crew! Cleaned out some more stuff from the baby room yesterday getting ready for his arrival!!"

12 weeks     15 weeks

13 weeks     16 weeks

14 weeks     17 weeks

Weekend Recap - Mexican Food

I'm coming out of this weekend with only two pictures to show for it. That's a big change for me. Nonetheless, it was a great weekend and I'm a little upset it went by so fast.

Friday night we stayed home for dinner and then made some brownies to celebrate Will passing his second Praxis. I'm sure we watched reruns of Big Bang Theory that night.

On Saturday morning we got up to help Tyler and Amanda move into their new place. It was fun helping, but it sure wore me out! They treated us to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch too!

After running a few errands that afternoon we came home and napped until about 6pm. Told you I was tired! We went to dinner with our friends Mark and Brooke at Frida's in Midtown...which also happens to be Mexican food. You know I'm a sucker for Mexican and salsa so it didn't bother me at all! Yum!

Saturday night was terrible on the pregnancy symptom front. Remember those round ligament pains I told you about? Saturday night was the worst it's ever been. I've had these pains about 3-4 times so far and it's always on the left side. Usually I can lay on my right side and that helps, but for some reason nothing was working. I stood in a warm shower for a while hoping that would help. Come to find out, all of the extra activity of our Saturday morning made the ligament pains worse. Oops.

Sunday morning we slept in since I had been up so much the night before. We missed church, but thankfully we can listen to it on the podcast later this week. My parents brought over some clothes for Crew that afternoon. I think they went a little crazy over some sales at Dillard's and a few other places. Fine with me! This was Will's favorite outfit so far. He says Crew can wear this when they go running together. Looks like we'll need to register for a running stroller!

After couples group last night, we had dinner with some friends at Young Avenue Deli in Midtown. It was our first time there and we really liked it. Their sweet potato fries were amazing. And that's coming from someone who absolutely hates sweet potatoes! I think I liked them so much because they were covered in cinnamon and sugar and you couldn't even taste the sweet potato.

Overall, a great weekend with so many great friends!

a good day + a proud wife

My day was made before 10:00 this morning! Will called me to say that he passed his second Praxis test! Some of you may know that he is about to graduate from seminary so there's a chance you're wondering why on earth he was taking the Praxis. Let me fill you in:

Will graduated from University of Memphis in 2010 with a Bachelor's degree in Communications & Management. He did this because he already felt called to pursue seminary with an intent to work as a youth pastor someday. So he started at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Bartlett in the Fall of 2010. In 2011 he got hired at a local church to be their youth pastor. We loved (and still do love) those teenagers and just enjoyed being a part of their lives. Will is so great with teenagers and that is something I love about him. He has such a gift of communicating and teaching that I think they really love too.

Last August we felt God was calling us to join a church in downtown Memphis. (Island Community Church) This church sees that there's a big need for outreach and ministry in the downtown area and we are so glad to now be a part of all that they are doing. We are both passionate about missions and outreach so we feel like ICC is perfect for us. Though Will is not on staff at this church, we know this is where God wants us right now. 

As Will started his senior year at MABTS in the Fall of 2012, we began to pray and talk about what was next for us. Were we going to pursue working on staff at other churches? (either in Memphis or possibly out of state) Neither one of us knew what the next step was. Will had talked about teaching high school off an on before (for about the past year), but it never went much further than just tossing around the idea. We would not talk about it for a few months and then he would randomly mention it again. It was obvious that God was trying to get our attention with this teaching idea. Will began to look into what the requirements were for teaching high school and we quickly found out that he would have to get ANOTHER Masters degree in teaching/education. I think that was a tough pill for Will to swallow for a while. He loves school, but he couldn't help thinking that he went to seminary for nothing and that the past three years were all a waste of time. I tried to encourage him as much as I could, but still wanted him to decide for himself what it was that he felt God calling him to do without my nagging.

After many, many months of praying, he finally decided that he does want to teach high school. I was so excited for this decision because I can see how much potential he has with so many teenagers. If you know Will already, you know the sense of humor he has. He's such a goofball and so hilarious. He's going to make a great teacher!

Will took his first Praxis test at the beginning of April and took the second one today...and passed them both! He's now certified to get a temporary teaching license and has 3 years to complete the next Masters program. I am so, so proud of his accomplishments and his willingness to follow God's plan for his life no matter the cost (or amount of school!) He is an amazing leader for our family and is going to be such a great dad to little Crew. 

If you live in or around Memphis you know of the situation with the school systems right now. Basically there's just a big mess with the city and county school systems trying to merge. We had someone tell us that it's a terrible time for Will to be searching for a teaching job (not very encouraging!) because they are cutting a bunch of teaching positions. Will and I both know and feel strongly that God led us this far and that He has a plan. Of course it's scary not knowing what's going to happen with the school systems and if there will be a position open for him to start in the Fall, but we are fully confident that God is going to take care of us. If you think about it, please pray for us and for Will to have the opportunity to teach this next school year. I get so excited thinking about how influential he could be as a teacher and I want more than anything for him to have the opportunity to do that this year. He still would love to teach full time and work/be really involved with a church here in Memphis. I know God didn't have Will go to seminary for no reason. He's had a plan all along and we're trying hard to follow in His footsteps instead of making our own path.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

P.S.-If you're in Memphis and have any connections with high school principals with Memphis City Schools or Shelby County Schools, please let me know!