Konen and Company

Hollis' first 4 months. We love you so.

2014-11-26T08:16:00.001-08:00

Hollis Nova Roux | Birth Story

2014-07-29T11:09:00.002-07:00

Oh, Miss. We waited SO long for you. So long - as in 41 weeks and 1 day - but really our whole life to meet you sweet, daughter of ours. Although our birth 'plan' didn't go exactly how I would have liked, we couldn't have asked for a better 'ending' to this chapter in our book of life. Banks' birth story is HERE, for those of you who would like to read or re-read it. Our plan was to have another completely natural labor with baby #2, and this is our how our story went: Frustrated. This explained my attitude for the 2 weeks before I went into labor. I don't know why, as I was 'late' with Banks and I know that to be up to 10 days late is actually completely normal. I think I was just so ready to meet this baby, that my patience was at 0% by the time July 17 rolled around. We were also told at our 40 week appointment that our beloved Dr. was going to be out of town the entire next week. I went into full panic mode. For me to endure the amount of pain a natural birth provides, I needed to fully trust the person who was going to be 'in charge' and making the calls. I immediately started to panic and wanted the baby to come out while Dr. was still in town. We discussed lining up another Dr to be 'on call' for our labor if I was to go into labor during the 41st week. We ended up meeting with this Dr. 2 days before I was 41 weeks and loved her. I felt completely comfortable with her and we gave her our birth plan and discussed how we wanted everything handled when I went into labor. She even cancelled the induction that was set up for the 42nd week and agreed to do a bio physical to see how big baby was/ how much fluid he/she had before setting up a firm induction date, as we were avoiding an induction for as long as we were 'allowed'. I joked that I just wouldn't go to the induction if they set one - ya, know you can't get in trouble for that. Oh, geez, I'm such a rebel. I continued to work up until I had Hollis. I woke up Thursday AM, and honestly just felt EXHAUSTED. I was tired and I wanted to sleep - NOT work. So I called in, with full expectations of returning to work on Friday. I took a couple of naps during the day, designed some birth announcements, answered work emails and watched TV. One email I received that day was from Grandma Kathy and Papa Steve saying they wanted to see if they could take Banks that evening to let us 'rest'. I agreed, and Steve made plans to pick Banks up after 5. At 4PM i started having contractions like I had had for the past 3+ weeks - except they were coming about every 10 minutes, for the first time - rather than 20-40 minutes apart. I, of course, had little hope that it was labor, and left to get Banks from daycare about 45 minutes after this started. I got home with B, texted Garrett and told him not to work overtime (just in case) and Steve showed up to take Banks to their house. By the time Steve left the contractions were definitely 10 minutes apart and getting more painful, but I still didn't tell anyone I thought we might be in labor..... I took a bath. Still 10 minutes apart. But, entirely more painful. I had the weirdest contraction pattern of 10, 10, 5, 15, 5, 10, 10, 5, 15, 5 - minutes apart. Odd, but it was consistent. I talked about going for a walk to see if that would speed things up, but told Garrett we had to wait until it was dark outside because i didn't want to look like a fool in front of the neighborhood. At this time I texted Stacey and my Mom to tell them I thought it was the REAL DEAL. Ahhh! We went for a 1+ mile walk and I was contracting every 6 minutes and had to stop along the walk to get through the contractions. Although they were still further apart, the pain was worse than with Banks at this time during labor. We got back to the house and I took another bath - the contractions went up to 8 minutes apart, but still VERY painful. I had been visiting the restroom in between every contraction since about 7PM because I had to pee like crazy - I had told myself to keep more hydrated this time than I did with B - I barely drank anything during the 17 hours I was in labor with him. G even went to Sonic and got me a ice water with lemon - he thought I was crazy because I couldn't have water from the fridge without the lemon - but, at this time I was all about being selfish and requesting exactly what I thought I needed. Ha! At this point I could no longer talk, walk or lay down between contractions, but was squatting, rolling on the ground, swaying back and forth and moaning. at 11PM I went to the rest room and I couldn't get up off the toilet. I contracted 5 times before making it out of the restroom. From the time I left the toilet to wash my hands I contracted, from the time I had soap on my hands to the time the water was on, i contracted... it was AWFUL. there were about 10 seconds in between and more painful than ever. I crawled to the living room and found Garrett asleep on the couch and David Letterman's annoying jokes blaring in the living room. I yelled "IT'S TIME TO GO!!!" Garrett woke up, startled, and said "Are you sure?" I said YESSSS!!! NOWW!!! He grabbed a few items we still hadn't put in the car and i continued to have contractions to the car, while getting in and the entire 30 minute drive to the hospital. I was in pure, evil pain and couldn't believe there was no time in between the contractions to rest. It was a constant contraction - ongoing, for almost an hour now. We carried nothing into the hospital and I groaned and moaned til I got to the restroom in the Birthcare Center. Then, we filled out paperwork - or I screamed the answers - as I was completely annoyed and hunched over while they asked me what my freakin' weight was - before and after getting pregnant.... Seriously?? Stacey showed up at the hospital and G and I went to the room at midnight. The nurse we met first was great and she said we needed to get checked immediately to see where I was at - she checked and i was dilated to 8CM. I couldn't believe it. I thought we would be at 4 or 5 like last time and still had 10 hours of labor. Excited explained everyone's emotion, because shortly after that about 7 people rushed int he room, set up the delivery table, asked me one million questions and I was being stuck in both arms for blood. G and I were thrilled we were going to be able to use our cord blood donation kit, but I had no idea that they needed 5 viles of blood from me before I delivered. Needless to say, a nurse on both sides of me drawing blood while in constant painful contractions is NOT FUN. It's also not fun when they can't seem to get the blood they need and you are stuck 3 different times in each arm. Meanwhile, meet nurse Kate. Worst nurse ever. Kate was apparently in charge now and nurse Kate couldn't stop saying how excited she was because this was her FIRST time to be in a room they didn't know the sex and her FIRST time for a natural delivery. Oh, that's great Kate.... I'm really glad I can be your first. The nurse continued to ask me 100 questions per minute, while they could't find our birth plan. Our birth plan specifically states not to talk to me AT ALL during labor, and that if any questions need answered to ask Garrett outside of the room. This was ignored and in all honestly ( LOVE YOU TO DEATH ) I could tell Garrett wasn't ready for 'game time' just yet, and was a little panicked himself. They were asking him to get the cord blood kit out and ready and he was trying to figure out where our 2nd choice Dr was because the resident showed up ready to deliver baby. Also, specifically in the birth plan - no residents or students to perform delivery/surgery. Picky, maybe?, but did I mention that during this entire time I'm in excruciating pain??? They hooked me up to the monitor and I told them I wanted it off... it stayed on... the 7 people in the room were all talking and it was pure CHAOS. No one was calm. Oh, and there was a miscommunication from the front desk to the nurse to the resident about our Dr., so they had already called in the other on-call Dr. to help the resident deliver. NOT HAPPY. Kate is still so excited. They said that if they broke my water we could get the process going quicker, and I immediately denied. It also states this in the birth plan. I wanted to progress at the rate my body preferred rather than do anything that would force quicker, harder contractions. Kate checks Tessa. Kate breaks Tessa's water and Kate looks terrified. Kate literally looked around the room and I thought she was going to cry. 'I'm so sorry, I just broke your water.' My attitude at this point was awful because I felt like everything was going against our plan and I had the team of 'newbies' on staff that were more excited to just watch this unfold, rather than follow directions that I had put so much effort into. The contractions immediately were stronger and I was feeling the urge to push. My back was in full on cramp mode and nurse #2 pulled out some awful smelling oil and rubbed it into my back - I was going to puke because of the smell - no one told me the oil was going to be rubbed on my back and if SOMEONE had the birth plan they would know it says not to use any oils unless I was asked. Needless to say I was now contracting and gagging and I was still tied down to the monitor and bed -with Banks I walked and stood the entire time and was 'free'. I felt like i had 7 people circling my bed at this point just staring at me, talking and smiling while I wanted to scream. I requested the epi. Ah. Stupid. They said they would check me first. I was at 9.75CM and the head was right there. The resident told me i was ready to push in 5 minutes and the baby would be here soon. I panicked and completely lost all faith in every person in the room. I felt like nothing was going as planned and envisioned the worst of worst tearing with Banks and the sewing up afterward. My legs wouldn't move. I didn't want to push. I didn't want any of them in the room. And I told Garrett there was no way I could let them deliver this baby and feel the pain I was about to endure. I wanted to be numb. Yes, I regret this, but when I look back, I still didn't trust anyone in the room and I don't know if I would have ever opened up my legs to have a baby. After 2 failed attempts at an epidural - I was at a full 10CM and still feeling every contraction when the 3rd attempt numbed just the one area it needed to. I could still feel the contractions, my legs and had full control of my body - but the edge was taken off and 6 pushes and 15 minutes after I got the partial epidural I was a balling mess because I watched my first daughter enter the world. The chaos was OVER. I could finally just relax and enjoy what was happening rather than worrying about what everyone was NOT doing correctly (according to my plan). Hollis Nova Roux Konen Born 7.25.14 at 3:11 AM 9 LBS - 1 OZ 20.5 inches Although, I'm not happy I got the epidural, I still feel like I experienced what true labor and delivery feels like minus the final rip and tear. Agh. I'm also grateful that Miss Hollis didn't endure hours of medication - but 100% disappointed in the way our birth plan was not used. Baby #3 will have an on-call staff :) Oddly enough, I feel one million times better than I did with Banks afterward. I honestly feel on day 4 postpartum with Hollis like I did month 6 with Banks. No joke. This gives me SO much hope, and if I had known that was going to be the case I probably wouldn't have freaked out so much. I don't know if it's because it's baby #2 or what the deal is, but it's a WORLD of difference. Thank goodness, because I have a crazy Banks to chase after. At 3 -4 months with Banks I was struggling to walk at the grocery store because i was still so sore. I've already taken walks to the park, shopped at Target for an hour and I'm more than willing to get up off the couch to do laundry, clean house, etc.... and it's day 5!!! This is entirely way too exciting for me. I feel like it's a breeze compared to Banks.
My mom, best friend and Serena were all in the room during the birth of Hollis and for that I'm so thankful. Last time, my mom was supposed to be told to come in the room when I was ready to deliver, but that never happened. I'm so glad she was able to be there this time. Words cannot express my gratitude for Serena taking the photos she did during Hollis' labor and birth. I will truly cherish these photos forever, and hope that we can do the same thing with our future children. The photos make me tear up with happiness every time I look at them. She captured the pure pain I was in, the tears of joy the moment I saw SHE was a GIRL and everything in between. I may be a little obsessed with taking photos and capturing every life moment, but I know that now and 10, 20, 30+ years from now I will never regret taking too many photos of our life as a family. If you don't know Serena already, I more than highly recommend her - she is not a photographer that takes photos and sends them to you. She is a photographer that cares about you, your family, has a heart of gold and goes above and beyond every.single.time she sees you to make sure that she is capturing moments that are important to you and YOUR family. I could never thank her enough for being there during Hollis' birth. You can see her photos on her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BleuHollowPhotography?ref=br_tf and her blog at http://www.bleuhollowphotography.com. Meet, Miss Hollis Nova Roux - our crazy, beautiful story.

yes, I'm STILL pregnant.

2014-07-21T08:25:00.001-07:00

Today, I'm 40w/5d with baby K#2. If you had asked me 4 weeks ago if I thought I would be pregnant past 40w, I would have said you were crazy. I'm not at almost 3CM and have been at 2CM for 3+ weeks. talk about getting your hopes up! I'm so glad I was freaking out 5 weeks ago about getting the nursery done, outfits ready, bag packed and plans outlined for Banks in case we were to go into labor overnight. I'm starting to forget what I packed, what outfits were bought and who I'm supposed to call when this all goes down. I average about 20 texts per day from friends asking WHY, or WHEN this baby will be born. friends, I love you, but your guess is as good as mine. And then Monday morning rolls around AGAIN and every co-worker is asking WHY you are at work. I'm ever-so-thankful for so many caring, loving friends, but ya'll I want this baby out of me as much as you do! even banks woke up on saturday morning and walked up to me and said "you still have a bump, mom?" YES! Yes, Banks, mom still has a bump. (little does he know that even after baby comes I will STILL have a bump - that'll be fun to explain.) I keep joking about how we haven't had the baby yet because it's a boy and we STILL don't have a name picked out. I guess that really could be the case... ahh! At this point, I think i'm more frustrated with the fact that I'm trying to do everything "PERFECTLY" in my eyes to prepare for labor and I'm not accepting the fact that game time is anytime, and that I'm most likely not going to be 100% ready when the time comes, but rather I'll have to adjust to the situation. With this I'm talking about our plans to TRY to go for another all-natural labor. Around 9PM I start freaking out every night thinking that if I go into labor NOW, i'll be way too tired to endure another possible 17 hours of labor. Or I'll eat too much and feel like I'm way too full to experience any type of pain..... so...as always, many things we realize are NOT in our control, even things that we THINK are in our control, are not, and we simply must be obedient.

'Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it.' (Isaiah 30:21)

We need to wait on the Lord and trust that his perfect timing is best. God's word warns us not to try and speed things up and do things in our own strength ... 'There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.' (Proverbs 16:25)
There is a right time for everything. A right time to get married, a right time to have a baby, a right time to do everything. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says ...

'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.' (NIV).

.... and for those who have had to endure the evil eye roll or the bad attitude I may have, I am truly sorry.... but, I will let you know when this babe is out!!!

today, i'm thankful.

2014-07-10T12:19:00.001-07:00

what a week. a week of crazy emotions, as if that weren't expected from a 9 month pregnant mom. the week started out with lots of complaints. complaints sunday evening about how i had to go to work on monday, rather than staying home with a newborn. early monday i learned that our best friends were going to most likely lose a dad and father in law, a friend's wife was diagnosed with cancer and saw posts of another friend mourning the 7th anniversary of her first child who only lived minutes on earth. i quickly became ever so thankful that i was at work, had a job, my parents are healthy, i'm healthy and our second child was moving like crazy inside the womb. and i got to spend another day being pregnant - something i'm ever so thankful for, the blessing to be able to have kids. although i'm 100% ready to meet this baby, find out the sex of this baby, name this baby, love on this baby and for our family to grow... today i'm ever so thankful for what i have RIGHT NOW, because tomorrow is never guaranteed. it's so easy to rush life and wish for more and want time to pass quickly because of things we get to look forward to. this week i'm reminded that living in the moment is not such a bad thing. so many prayers being said this week. prayers for peace and comfort in the most difficult times.

i'm an auntie!

2014-06-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

1 down. 1 to go.

my sister-in-law kelsey had her baby girl on June 22 at 12:52PM and i officially became an AUNT for the first time!!

kels did great and aizley is one perfect lil' girl. i could spend hours sitting there holding her. i can't wait for her cousin to join her in this world and watch them grow up so close in age! family get togethers will be so much fun!

my camera was dusted off and has been used constantly ever since she arrived - love her!

i've longed for you, july.

2014-06-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

tomorrow is july 1, 2014. i've been waiting for july since, well, november. november 3 to be exact - the day we found out we would be expecting baby #2. it seems that july came fast and the time in-between november and july dragged - all at the same time. i'm sure those of you who have kids know exactly what i'm talking about. nevertheless, we are ready for baby, i think. are you ever ready? for the past 10 weekends i feel like i've been tackling to-do lists of things i just have to get done before baby: clean the house X 100 finish the nursery buy g bday and anniversary gifts before july (just in case i don't have time after) reupholster furniture prepare birth announcement - ready for photo drop-in (still not done) go through b's old clothes clean out basement .... the list goes on.... many of these things are done - many of them are not, but i think i'm okay with that. i'm okay with this baby coming and things not being PERFECTLY planned. it's so different preparing for #2 than for #1. #1 was easy.... if i deep-cleaned the house it stayed like that for more than the next 10 minutes. sigh. now i worry more about banks. what's banks going to do when i'm in labor - will he be okay? will he be in a good mood/happy to see us when baby arrives? how are we going to handle two? what if this baby isn't a great sleeper like banks, doesn't eat well like banks? .... so much for thinking people don't compare their kids.... i already am and i don't even know if i'm comparing a boy to a boy or a boy to a girl. i'm sure i'll love them just the same, compared or not. we've been dilated to 2cm for the past 2 weeks and will go back to the dr. on the day we enter week #38 (wednesday). the day after we'll celebrate g's 30th birthday, the 4th of july, the week after our 6th wedding anniversary and then we're almost to d-day. the anticipation of finding out where this babe's birthday will fall in-between all of the other july excitement is KILLING ME. my etsy favorites are ready to purchase as soon as baby comes folder #1 - pink/coral galore folder #2 - 1 item ( sad, I know) i'm finding out quickly that if a girl happens to join our family i'll be broke as a joke. and when i think about 'what i want' i truly have no preference. there are 1,000 reasons i would love a girl and a 1,000 more i think a boy would be best, which is why i LOVE not finding out the sex of the baby. and i wonder what baby will look like.... like b? small or BIG like b? will labor be long and steady like last time or will it be short, quick and unexpected? will i go into labor at home again or at work? will my water break, or will that first REAL contraction be the only sign? so much anticipation - KILLING ME (again), but i cannot wait to see what unfolds THIS MONTH! so,welcome July. I know you will be a month to remember and the day of this month we remember forever is the unknown, but we cannot wait to know that magic number!

READY TO BE A BIG BROTHER

BABY K2 - YOUR COUSIN IS READY TO MEET YOU!

37 WEEKS

37 WEEKS & DONUT DAY WITH B

full-term.

2014-06-21T07:33:00.001-07:00

i've never thought of myself as one with poor memory, in fact, garrett asks me all the time how i remember things like what he wore 6 years ago to the day, or the crazy things that happened in high school. i don't remember being this anxious for baby #1. i feel like it's the first time all over again. i'm excited, nervous, anxious, freaking out, and a ball of emotions. this time though, i'm more worried about banks. is he going to be okay during labor? is he going to like the baby? how will be react at their first meeting? will be still love me the same? will he cry? will he smile? will he have a sister? a brother? so many questions to be answered in the next month, or so. i've prepared myself for a late baby. doctors had given me two different due dates with banks - November 17 and November 27. He ended up being born on November 29, so either way, he was late. this go around, I'm prepared to have baby k#2 anytime AFTER July 17. although, after yesterday's appointment, I can't help but get my hopes up! 60% effaced, -3, almost 2cm dilated and head down. whoa. yes, i know.... this really doesn't mean anything, but the fact that I'm just now 36 weeks and there is some sort of sign that baby is coming just excites me like no other. for 8 months it feels like it will be FOREVER before the baby comes and there is so much time to get all of the items on our checklist, checked. and now, i'm not so sure that everything will be checked. after the dr. left the room, g asked why he didn't tell us our effacement and station position. I said he did.
G - "he did? all i heard was almost 2cm and i couldn't believe it, so i guess i didn't hear anything else!" i think it's safe to say we're both excited. the heartbeat was 134 this go around, and I'm still convinced this baby is a boy. still.... a boy without a confirmed name. holy stress.
i can't get over how weird it is to think that any given minute i could be in labor.... and to have this feeling for much more than 3 more weeks would just be brutal and wrong, but i keep reminding myself how everything just simply 'worked out' last time i went into labor and that it happens when it's supposed to. even if i was past my due date. i've been trying to save a little energy each day after i remind myself how much energy i used up during the 17 hours of natural labor last time. it's almost like 'trying' to prepare for a marathon that you don't know the start time or date for - odd. i'm also struggling with the fact that b will no longer be the only child. i'm ecstatic to add another member to our family, but i'm nervous about how banks will react, how i'll really feel (probably overwhelmed) when the baby arrives and how i will adjust to 'sharing love' and 'sharing time'. for now, i'm completely savoring every moment with banks and loving his sweetness and i'm sure that we will all fall completely in love with baby#2 as soon has he/she is born, but i can't help but worry more about this baby being born than i was with banks. funny.. because you would think that it would feel totally natural being the 'second time around'.
right now we are praying for a healthy baby and would prefer it to be born between Sunday after 3PM and before a Friday at 3PM. why? because we have an awesome opportunity to donate free cord blood. i had checked into doing this with banks, but never found somewhere that would do it for free. to save the cord blood for your own family's use is expensive, but donating it to an agency for anyone to use, can be completely free. that's what we're doing and i'm kind of weirdly really excited about it. of course the baby needs to be healthy and the amount of blood collected has a minimum, otherwise it cannot be accepted and the baby must be born between the times listed above for the blood to be able to be picked up and shipped. if you are pregnant and are between your 28th and 34th week you can also do this! i highly recommend it as i've heard of cord blood cells saving several friends' and friends' family member's lives. so cool. we are using Life Force Cryo Banks -http://www.lifeforcecryobanks.com.
in other awesome news - i'll officially be an aunt this week! kelsey is almost 5 days past her due date and her doctor has scheduled an induction date for monday, so we're excited for baby A to join the world this week! praying everything goes smoothly and baby A and mama are healthy throughout the birth.
also an AWESOME update on a story i shared through our blog earlier about the Topping Twins - you can read about their story here and continue to pray for their family. miracles do happen thanks to Him.

36 weeks

six to go. maybe more. maybe less.

2014-06-08T18:08:00.003-07:00

i started this post the day i was 34 weeks.... now i'm closer to 35. i think it's safe to say that time is flying by and that baby k #2 will be here before we know it - which i'm totally a-ok with.
.... in the meantime we're waiting for our first niece to be born... kelsey is due in 9 days!....
our trip to south carolina was great.i felt great the whole time and no complaints of extra tiredness or aching due to the traveling. so i thought. i went back to work monday and i've been exhausted ever since and my back is KILLING me. sitting in an office chair all day probably doesn't help much, and frankly our hotel's mattress was apparently much better than our's at home.
on tuesday i visited the dr for our 34 week appt., but saw a nurse practitioner due to our dr.'s european vacation - ahhhh. that'd be nice.
heart rate jumped to 152 after it had been in the 130's and low 140's the last couple of appointments. my weight had no problem taking a big leap either.
i keep trying to compare these pregnancies, but i truly cannot tell much a difference. i have gained a little less weight with this one and feel less swollen than i did with banks. the heart rates are all over the place and are throwing me for a loop. my face is a disaster, as it was with banks - those dang brown, birth-mark like spots are showing up everywhere! make-up is a must.

i keep reading about Banks' updates at 34-36 weeks trying to come up with a comparison. you can read that post HERE.
for now, i'm still going with boy. that dang boy with no set name..... still.

mom came over this weekend and we visited the farmer's market, got a few more things for the baby's room and then i cleaned for HOURS. i went through all of banks' baby stuff and pulled out what we need for baby k 2. i ended up washing a few boy newborn outfits, a few neutral outfits, all of the blankets, swaddling blankets and burp cloths. it's starting to feel so real!

banks' take home outfit - feels like YESTERDAY.

B absolutely LOVES to be in the baby's room... a little too much. he picked this elephant out for the baby's crib when we visited babies r us this weekend.

we also decided to buy a comfortable glider for the nursery ( ouch to the wallet ) and put the wooden chair in our bedroom.
after a week's research and deliberation we settled on this beauty. it looks brown, but is actually a medium grey. i can't wait to add a pillow with a pop of color - a bright coral or a aqua blue?

so here's to week 34... coming and going....

back home with banks.

2014-06-06T09:49:00.001-07:00

we've been back home for 5 days since vacation and i feel like i have 100 stories to tell. let's just say this kid has a mind of his own and keeps us on our toes. although he's as cute as can be, and makes me smile and laugh (usually when I shouldn't be laughing), he has been 'in the corner' ever since we got home.

the other night we were eating mcdonalds (gross, i know) out on the deck and banks wasn't eating. he went on and on about the neighbor mowing. be loves to mow. he's obsessed, but the real mowers scare him. he kept asking if the mower was going to get him....(of course it wasn't), but since b wouldn't eat, I said if he ate his chicken nuggets, the mower wouldn't get him.

b stuffed a nugget in his mouth - so much that he chewed that sucker for 5 minutes before swallowing. he then was teasing hadley with a nugget. we all know that giving hadley anything but a tiny piece of food is a no-go after his near-death experience with banks' apple, so we tell banks ALL OF THE TIME not to give hadley food.

2 seconds later, hadley takes the nugget. I asked B why he would do that after i told him not to, his answer:

"The mower was going to get Hadley if he didn't eat a nugget."

Seriously?

................................

B is for bossy.

He's definitely not afraid to tell you what to do.

Sit here. Scoot over. Get my milk. Put my milk back. Pick up my blanket. Don't do that. Dont' touch me. Don't kiss me. Kiss my foot. Kiss my ouchie. SO BOSSY. Of course, we answer with "what do you say?"

We get a please, and then usually proceed with the task.

The other night, miserable and hot, we went downstairs to watch TV. B left his cup upstairs and as soon as I was comfortable on the couch, I hear:

"Go get my cup, mama."

I asked him if he had two feet. He answered, yes. Then you can go get it. You can walk upstairs and get your cup, Banks.

He argued.. No, mama, no, you go get it. I told him I wasn't going to get it, that he could do it himself.

"Why? Did your leg fall off, mom?"

SO BOSSY.

.......................

after swimming lessons went so well i was determined to keep banks in some sort of organized activity. it was something he could look forward to every week, meet new people and hopefully have some fun.

so, we signed up for soccer. 8 weeks of soccer. once a week, again something to look forward to. I told G he would have to step up his game for soccer, as I swam at 30 weeks pregnant. blah... there was no way i was running around at 34+ weeks pregnant in the heat. he agreed.

neither garrett or I played competitive soccer. i know barely anything about the sport, other than that it's long, sometimes boring to watch, the scores are usually low and that got nailed in the face with a soccer ball in 5th grade and never signed up for the sport again.

his bff, Bode, is also signed up, but was out on vacation.... let's just say that I'm hoping he will bring more interest to soccer lessons in the next few weeks.

first 5 minutes....

....not so sure about joining the group....

..... 34 week pregnant mother steps in after a meltdown.....

....... and he's off....

..... to the playground....

I'm not sure who had a bigger meltdown... B or his father. I don't think he's accepting that B may not be good at something very well. Okay, so he's probably fine at soccer, but he just was NOT INTERESTED... at all.... he'd much rather play on the playground. Although, when the kid with the shin guards, soccer shoes and shiny soccer ball showed up late, B was all about his gear - so maybe we just need new gear??

Garrett said he's not going back (needless to say, he was mortified) so I guess it's up to mom to get the kid involved.... we'll see how this goes.

when we got home, the kid got his new lefty golf clubs out and hit the ball across the yard - i'm totally fine with him playing a low impact sport that could make him millions while looking slick in golf clothes. that's my boy.

... and then he requested to watch tennis before bed...

maybe, soccer just isn't our sport.

However, the post-soccer ice cream was fabulous and the donuts the day after were even better.

Food is awesome.

HAPPY NATIONAL DONUT DAY!

thirty-two & blessed.

2014-05-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

there was a lot of anxiety leading up to yesterday's 32-week sono and baby dr. appt. for one, we leave in T-6 days for South Carolina and momma is not feeling so comfortable leaving banks behind this time. last year, around this time, we went to Cabo, and oddly enough it was much easier leaving Banks. I think it's more difficult this time because he knows when we are gone, and he's been an attached boy lately. work is busy. sister in law could have baby at any time. flights were changed just hours before the appointment and i've heard of too many - not-so-good baby dr. results as of late. needless to say, i prayed the entire way to the appointment and felt fairly confident that everything was going to be okay once i arrived. not realizing our dr. appt was at 4:30 following the 3:15 sono, i had not made alternate arrangements for B to be picked up - saving grace: mom/nana. she drove all the way from Norwich, across town to Wesley, picked up the carseat and traveled back west to be sure Banks could be picked up by 5, so G could stay for the appointment. I would be LOST without her. after the sono tech made complete fun of my maternity spanx (best thing ever), we reiterated that we did not want to know the sex of the baby and then the tech squirted the ice-cold gel onto my big ole belly and the sono began. kidneys - great placenta previa - gone awesome. she measured the heart rate at 130 and then 140.... so comparable to the 138 last time. she also could not stop mentioning the amount of hair this baby had. we got new photos of baby k's face (although, it looks like a hot mess to me and is so hard to see) she marked all kinds of 'HAIR!!!!" on the photos. i'm thinking boy. still...... a nameless boy. but, one thing i know for sure, is that this baby at the time is healthy and that is ALL that matters. T - 8 (ish) weeks.

Konen & Co. Updates

2014-05-14T11:50:00.003-07:00

PREGNANCY i had my first trip to the dr. by myself - it's just not as much fun. i love sharing the experiences with G, but due to the last couple of appointments taking 2+ hrs of our time in the waiting room, it wasn't working out. this appointment was no different - i spent 2. 5 hours there after drinking the glucose drink, waiting to see the dr. - seeing the dr, and then getting blood drawn for glucose results.. whew. i've received no call back from the dr about the glucose test, which should mean that everything is a-ok. praise the lord. dr. said i'm measuring 31 weeks ( approx. July 10 vs. our July 17 due date) and heart rate was 138 - much lower than B ever was. as i began to change my prediction from boy to girl, i'm again convinced we are having baby boy #2 (boy without name). i've been having a ton of braxton hicks contractions and feel like this baby is much closer to my skin than the last... weird, but true. we've been going on walks and i feel like i'm in the beginning stages of labor every time - so much for trying to stay active! Still want to make your prediction? Do so here - I'd love to see what you think!! at our next appoint, in just over a week now, we will have another sonogram to check the babe's kidneys and placement of the placenta - praying this all goes well as we will leave for south carolina just a week from then, and it'd be great knowing that everything is looking healthy.

30 weeks with Baby #2

29 weeks with Banks

BANKS b and i (because i feel it was much more of a workout for me) finished up a month of swim lessons 2 weeks ago. although, b is no pro swimmer, he's definitely not afraid of the water, and loves 'going under'. at our last lesson, we even went down the BIG slide! he loved it. it'll be nice to have a community pool, just a block from our house this summer to cool off in and enjoy - mama just won't be sporting any kind of cute two-piece this year. Not a day goes by that I don't love B more - although some will say he has way too much energy, he can make fun of almost any situation and find he funny in everything. he makes me laugh so hard i cry and then his sweet side comes out "mommy, are you okay??" with the sweetest voice and concern in his eyes. the roughest, most dare-devilish, witty, sarcastic boy can also be the most caring, sweet and concerned for anyone. after fighting a fever over the weekend, I think we are on the mend and feeling better. This might be the first time B has ever willingly laid in bed. He had to have been feeling bad.

their matching fishing vests crack me up.

LOVE MY MAMA she's the best. and i mean that. the longer i'm a mother the more i respect her. being a mama isnt' for the weak, that's for sure. and it isn't for those who need to be told they're doing a great job 24/7. i find myself complaining about the little things way too often, and then mom comes over and i try to think of a time she ever complained. she didn't. she just did what a mom does - she's there for you, she's a mom, she listens, she helps and she cares. happy momma's day to you, mom. to avoid eating pizza hut buffet on mother's day i had made reservations for the family, my mom and her mom to have brunch after church. what happens when you try to plan something? you're reminded you're not in control. I came home from work on Saturday to find B with a 102 temp that continued throughout the night and all day Sunday - no church, no brunch - meant a sweats, no-makeup, no outing kind of mother's day, which was fine by me. I got some cuddles from B that I long for and the cutest (thanks to his great daddy) mother's day gift - a wooden box B made with his beloved tools.

the kid wouldn't stop moving - but he sure was proud of his box he made m

the day i became a momma!

lately, I've also been reminded that being a mom isn't something that everyone gets to enjoy, or has the easiest time becoming. whether it be that people are more open about miscarriages or infertility or that it's more common, or we hear of it more at 'this age', i don't know, but it's sad, heartbreaking and a great reminder that getting pregnant, giving birth and having healthy children is not something to take for granted. i know i do way too often. i guess when you haven't had these problems, it's easy to, but often feel so guilty. many friends made announcements of their miscarriages or infertility around mother's day this year, and i think that hit me a little harder than expected and made me realize how blessed i am. please keep those who long for motherhood in your prayers. one friend, and story i will continue to follow, is writing her story on her blog HERE. I encourage you to read it and keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers as I cannot imagine the emotions their family is experiencing. so, happy mother's day to you, mom, and to all other mama's out there and prayers to those who are wanting to become a mother.

Project Complete.

2014-05-12T08:02:00.001-07:00

When we first moved in to our 'new to us' home last August, I was so excited that I might actually be able to re-create one of my Pinterest Pins! Our home doesn't have a dining room per say, and the cut-out space by the kitchen and TV room was awkward and didn't fit our small table and 2 chairs well.
I had always wanted a booth in my house, and this was my chance. G said that we were moving into this house because we didn't have to do any projects... he was wrong. There is always improvements to be made, right? Never satisfied. My inner-competitive athlete side comes out in areas that aren't so related to athletics - like home projects - we can do better... always. Not a good thing for the bank account.
You can see some of the booth inspiration HERE on my Pinterest Page.
G began the booth work during Christmas break as my Christmas gift - which carried onto a birthday gift, Valentine's gift and lucky for me - it was completed just one week before Mother's Day. My poor husband, working weekly overtime hours and putting up with my crazy ideas, didn't have much time to work on home projects, but as always, he did with love and care and his engineering brain dreamed up the perfect plan for our new kitchen booth - which in the last week has proved to hold 8 adults for a dinner - wahoo! His dad, who is also an engineer, made fun of how sturdy the booth was saying it could hold thousands of pounds - or a truck - which didn't surprise me. G always goes a little above and beyond when it comes to making things sturdy and he says 'the right way'.
Thanks babe for your sweat and time. He knows homemade gifts are the best, anyways.

Inspiration from the table came from my good friend, Sheena (interior designer). She helped us sand and stain the wood pieces we purchased and then Garrett rigged up another engineering plan to attach the individual boards to our existing table base.

Eventually, we'll add seat cushions and pillows and the artwork will actually be hung, but for now, mama is happy.

Thanks babe. You're so handy!

a sweet baby girl: Aizley Cade

2014-05-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

let's go back about 30 weeks. garrett and i were still 'trying' for baby #2 and mama was getting frustrated. my sister-in-law knew that we had wanted a second child for some time now, and would ask me almost every week if we were pregnant yet. the answer: no. in the midst of all of this, we found out that we wouldn't be parents to another one of our own, but that - second best -we would be aunt and uncle ( and b a cousin) for the first time! a few weeks later, i accompanied my sister-in-law's dr. appt and while waiting for her to finish up her appointment, I made my own appointment to see Dr. K, because G and I had just found out we were expecting too! Apparently, it takes me a lot longer to get dressed and exit the exam room than it does Kelsey. 10 seconds later, she is in the lobby asking me why I'm scheduling an appointment - and there you have it, cousins due just 4 weeks apart TO THE DAY.

Aizley Cade is due to arrive on June 17. Baby Konen #2 is due to arrive July 17. I have this cool theory that Kelsey will go late and I'll go early and we might just be in the hospital at the same time. Ha! Last weekend, I threw my first solo baby shower for Miss Aizley and Kelsey. We had a great turnout and the mama-to-be was spoiled with awesome gifts thanks to her kind friends and family! We cannot wait to meet Miss Aizley and watch her grow up with her two cousins so close in age - it'll be a new adventure for the entire family and we're looking forward to it. So thankful to have family that lives close and visits often.

the countdown is on.

2014-04-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

this past weekend i got to check off my 3rd heartspring event of the year. 3/3. whew. i feel like a new person. i always stress right beforehand thinking NO ONE will show up or that we won't reach our goals, so to be able to finally breathe is amazing. - we are also still taking donations at www.autismcarewalk.org. all donations go to heartspring's CARE Program and support local families and children impacted by autism - the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. -

The fam supporting the 7th annual Autism CARE Walk

i usually don't cry at these events because i'm so busy and just trying to make sure that everything is going well that i don't lose myself in the emotion, but i think the pregnancy hormone got to me this time. it was SO AWESOME to see families supporting their 1 in 68. i really can't imagine what the families sacrifice for their child with autism and to see the joy on their faces at this event was just awesome. happy tears. ------------- it's baby time now. 12 really 11 more weeks until the due date and our schedule is packed. 6 days until i host a baby shower for my sister in law and niece 13 days until mother's day 21 days until maternity photos - aka more adorable photos of the bankster 28 days until south carolina for a week 7 weeks until i become an aunt (or sooner, or maybe a tad later) 9 weeks until g's 30th birthday 10 weeks until our 6th anniversary 11 weeks until D-DAY! so much to look forward to, and so much to do, and i'm itching to tackle the rest of the baby's nursery, a few home projects (BOOTH WILL BE DONE THIS WEEK - EKKKK!!) photos to come. still need a baby name. 100% on the girl name, but I'm so convinced this baby is a boy. so, therefore, the girl name does no good. if you'd like to take a stab at the sex and birth date of baby k#2 visit this link! I'd love to see what you think! http://www.whatsinmybelly.com/baby-pool-baby-k-2-4418 have any of you experienced restless leg syndrome (RLS)? HOLY MOLY. at about week 26 this hit me like a mo-fo. every night around 7pm my legs freak out and it's the most annoying feeling in the world. i've been taking walks and playing with banks each evening, so i'm not sure what else to do, but any suggestions would be great!!!

28 weeks

banks wrapped up swim lessons and had a great time. we are thinking swim lessons round #2 and soccer for the summer. now that baby k #2 feels completely real i'm starting to freak out a little about the transition from 1 to 2. i think b will be a great big brother, but i have that terrible feeling that he won't like his mama and dadda anymore. i know that is very unlikely, but i just start having this crazy thoughts and dreams ( like having 1.5 babies - SO WEIRD). yesterday, he told me the baby was black. and i said, what?? what are you talking about? he said "the baby, it's brown." I was completely confused. then i took off my jacket, which was black, and had a blue shirt on. he then said, the baby is blue, mom. i finally got it. he scared me for a minute, and garrett too.

welcome the 3rd trimester and an emotional mama

2014-04-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

well, baby k#2 will be 28 weeks in just 2 days. crazy.

that means we're officially in the 3rd trimester and that we will get to meet this babe in just 12 short weeks.

we'll have our last 'every 4 week' baby appt. the first week of may and then it's every 2 weeks from then on out. please join me in prayer that our 32 week soon goes well and that the babe's slightly enlarged kidney is no longer enlarged and that the slight cause of placenta previa disappears... that would be so awesome.

so in the next 12 weeks we have a lot to accomplish including finishing home projects, the nursery, directing my 3rd special event at Heartspring (this week!), throwing a baby shower, attending birthdays, weddings, a 5 day trip to South Carolina, I'll become an Auntie for the first time, Garrett will turn 30, I'll prepare my 4th special event for work before leaving for maternity leave and I'm positive that there will be some unexpected events pop up between the planned ones.

I wouldn't say i feel overwhelmed, because I love being busy, but there's a lot going on. and i realized (just yesterday) that i might be getting a little bit emotional.

banks is big. and he's going to be a big brother so very soon. I stayed up until 12:30 last night just scrolling through every photo I've taken of him since he was born. i hardly remember him being a baby, but yet it seems like yesterday that he had his first christmas, or first easter... and we just celebrated his 3rd easter! I cried just a little after putting him to bed. i also cried a little in church.... and a little when my brother and my parents left. happy tears, of course. I just couldn't ask for anything better at this point - and to be able to have our family together on easter was just awesome.

...and then the kid...

the kid had a MAJOR meltdown after all of his easter guests left for the day. when i say MAJOR, that's an understatement. he cried for almost an hour and refused to put any clothing on.

then after letting him mow the lawn, without clothes on for a good hour, he was as happy as could be, so sweet and even took this sweet, sweet photo. and again he was back to melting mama's heart.

and for the first time, i feel BLAH. i feel like this pregnancy has been a piece of cake so far.... until today. i feel entirely hungover, exhausted and just plain worn out. and not a dang thing will fit over this belly.... so therefore, the mornings are a bit rough.

so i'm hoping this is just a case of the monday weather being cloudy and rainy. 'cause i got a lot to do.

and i have this weird urge.... it could be because the boston marathon was today... but i just want to get back out there and run. i've already been crazy enough to check... and there are exactly 87 days between our due date and the fall prairie fire 1/2 marathon. my goal is to run it... we'll see how brutal (or big this baby is) this delivery is, though. no promises, but i am itching to get back out on the pavement and run for hours. weird, i know.

so that's cool. i feel completely exhausted and have an urge to run long distance.
... and i have nothing to wear.

but, life is OH, SOOOO good.

... and when i download all 200+ easter photos I will get to all the fun we had for Easter!

big boy beds and random thoughts.

2014-04-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

i really stuggle with the titles of blog posts. probably because it's part of my job to come up with clever titles, and by the time i blog, i just don't care about that anymore. so lots of random tessa thoughts. banks has a big boy bed, and to say he LOVES it is an understatement. He spent 3+ hours last night asking me to play ( in his bed) and every time we weren't in his room he would say "Come, mommy, I show you my big boy bed." Big boy bed, this. big boy bed, that. let's just hope this crapping in my bed/room thing ends SOON. it's happened once again since the last post. this time in his diaper, but afterward, he thought it would be a good idea to take his diaper off, which consisted of the biggest mess we've seen yet. nothing like a shitty 7a wake-up call on a Saturday morning. Needless to say, putting banks in his new bed was bittersweet. he is SO BIG. so smart. (except for the potty thing). and we are so proud of him. he truly is one hilarious kid, that no matter how much trouble he may cause due to his outgoing personality, he will put a smile on your face and make it nearly impossible to want to punish him, even after cleaning poo for over an hour.

........................... ncaa basketball is officially over. the tournament was less than awesome this year since both of our favorite teams were eliminated early, but there is still nothing like college basketball, nor will there ever be. one shining moment still makes me cry. i want to look like UConn's Ryan Boatright's mom when Banks is 20+ yrs. That'd be nice. oh, yeah... the women play for the national title tonight, but I'm so ready to see a 7 or 8 seed in women's basketball make an uproar in the tournament. I'm over Geno. ........................... b and i spent all day Saturday in Norwich with Nana and Papa and visited the Norwich carnvial. We went last year, as well, and it was so fun to see how much banks has changed in a year. he was able to interact and understand most of the games and pick out his own prizes. so big! he adores his time with nana and papa.

........................... baby name drama. yea. i'm pathetic. i know this, so it's okay since I'll admit it, right? so..... although i still have 50+ baby names on a list that i keep, we had decided on first names awhile back. if you know what they are then you are either my mom, or one of my bestest friends. I keep them tight, because i have a rule ( a pathetic rule ). I wont' use a name if I know ANYONE that has the name or has a child with the name that i have any sort of ties with. Of course, I'm sure ALL of the names I have picked out have been used before, I'm 100% sure of that. Oh, did I tell you that I know more than 10 people that have had babies in the past 2 weeks? Yea. That's a lot. 3 of them on the same day. And by the looks of it, things aren't going to slow down... it's in the water - and I drank it. Well, our boy name. It was used. AND it was used by someone with the last name, dare I say it.... Konen. Yep. Heartbreak at it's finest. I was so sad. So, back to the drawing board (at least for boy names). This stresses me out to no end, and it's a bit ridiculous. ........................... after (almost) a year of looking, i found a fiddle leaf fig. ahhhh. i bought it and now I'm looking for the perfect pot for it to call it's home. happy spring ya'll. i have a lot of other random thoughts.

our favorite visitor!

2014-04-02T12:34:00.001-07:00

this weekend was the BEST. our family has always been close, and we rarely did things on the weekends without one another. even after the brother and i were out of school. his junior and senior years consisted of road trips to hutch to watch my games, and then after i was done playing, my weekends consisted of road trips to watch the brother play at barton. we saw each other almost weekly or at least a couple of times a month during those first 4 years after moving out of the parents' home. the last two years, not so much. Dennan is a Grad Assistant (GA) for - dare i say it - K-State. We both pick on each other quite a bit, especially during basketball season. the brother was once an obsessed Tyrel Reed fan and owned his fair share of KU t-shirts, but now has been turned into a purple monster. I'll forgive him, as long as he lands some high-paying, DI job after his last year of grad school. Anyways, despite his choice in college, our family misses him dearly during basketball season. He's on the road or in Bramlage every weekend starting in November until KSU decides to leave the NCAA tournament - usually late March. We Facetime wtih 'Uncle Dennan' a couple of times a week and Banks loves it. He asks almost daily to see Uncle Dennan. Well, the Cats lost... as did our Shockers and Jayhawks, and the brother finally had some down time and came to visit us last weekend. It was just like old times, family times, the ones that I thought were 'annoying', but now would trade-in for anything. Mom cooked us homemade meals all weekend, we sat like bums on the couch and watched basketball. I didn't wear an ounce of makeup, and sweats and t-shirts were a must. We cracked jokes and all was good. Banks LOVED having Uncle Dennan around. He was fascinated with Dennan's toothpaste, and wanted to do everything dennan did, including brushing his teeth with grown-up toothpaste (minimal). He wanted Dennan to dress him, golf with him, tickle him, give him rides and follow him everywhere he went. Dennan "this kid wears you out"
Yes. yes, he does. But, it was awesome. So, happy (early) birthday to our favorite brother and uncle! We love you.

In other news: Banks woke up in the middle of the night last night. took his pjs & diaper off. crapped on the floor. climbed back into bed and went back to sleep naked. I'm about to lose my mind. We start swimming lessons tonight!!! Banks keeps saying "go swimming with the fishes!!!!" he has already put his swim trunks in his very own backpack labeled 'banks' and is ready to roll. mom didn't time things quite right....because i had to purchase a maternity swimsuit last night so that i can join in on the lessons. wearing a swimsuit in public 25-29 weeks pregnant will not be the most flattering sight anyone has ever seen.... hopefully the water comes up to about my neck!

25 weeks!

Nudity

2014-03-26T11:33:00.002-07:00

It's not for everyone. It's definitely not for me. But for our son, Banks, nudity is a daily occurrence with no shame attached. In fact, he is very proud of himself most of the time, especially when he is nude. We've been battling the do we or don't we potty train issue lately. I was all for the 'it will happen when they are ready for it' method', but lately we've gotten stuck in the middle. Things B wants to do CONSTANTLY: brush his teeth wash his hands sit on the toilet take a bath These are all great things to want to do, but they are deceiving. Brushing our teeth can mean two things: Sucking the toothpaste off the brush and saying "I'm all done." running around the house with a toothbrush (and BLUE toothpaste) for 15+ minutes and brushing furniture, carpet, toys or anything but his teeth. Sitting on the toilet is the same. it doesn't mean GOING to the bathroom in the toilet. I think maybe out of the 500 + times we've sat on the toilet, we've gone maybe 3. Not the ratio I'm going for. Lately, B has taken even more interest in the toilet and nudity. Many have said "Banks is always pantless in your photos". Yes, that' is true. Almost immediately after he gets home from daycare he either A) Takes his pants off or B) We change his diaper and he refuses to put his pants back on. From about 6-9PM he is running around with diaper + shirt + rainboots (another blog post) if we are lucky. But, most of the time we catch him with no diaper on. He will rip that sucker off in a heartbeat and therefore we have a nude baby. This nude baby has also been (DARE I SAY IT) going #2 on the floor. OMG. It's bad. It's so bad. I can tell you this may be the first motherly dilemma that I haven't had an answer to. Not saying I always have the best answer (because I don't), but i have NO answer. This brings me to last night. The worst it's been. Banks hadn't gone #2 all day, so we knew that he needed to go. He got up from playing and told us "I have to go poopy" Yay. Progress. We sat on the toilet, nude, for a good 15-20 minutes and read stories. Nothing happened and he was DONE sitting on the toilet. diaper + rainboots on and he goes off to play ... in his room. not even 5 minutes later, he runs out of his room COMPLETELY NUDE and said I pooped!!!!!!!!! he was excited. I go to his room and sure enough the kid took a #2 (this was the 5th time this has happened) on his carpet in his room. I could explain all of the thoughts and feelings I had at this point in time, but there are too many. We discussed what happened, explained it wasn't good... etc. Diaper back on + rainboots..... 30 minutes of playing (in our sight) and then the kid took his diaper off, pooped on the floor and told us once again all in the matter of one VOICE performance. That's 2- minutes. And, then it was Wednesday. The sun came up today.

life as of late.

2014-03-19T18:51:00.001-07:00

it's a good day. winter will be over tomorrow. if only that meant the 70+ temps would stay. ~~we've~~ i've began the nesting phase with baby k #2. after our 22 week sonogram, i think i realized this was REALLY happening and that we were more than halfway cooked with the new babe. the sonogram went well and we got to see our little babe. little is right. after delivering the 8 lb 11.5oz chunk of banks, i figured this one would be right there along with b. the dr. said the babe is in the 30th percentile for week #22. i understand we still have a ways to go, but this was a surprise to me (and also relieved a tiny bit of my anxiety going into natural delivery #2. the heartbeat was 153 and we are still waiting to find out what he or she is! dr. did say that the baby has one enlarged kidney that we will keep an eye on. after doing some research on what this might mean, i'm steering away from google and going with lots of prayers and patience until we can do some follow-up exams later down the road to make sure it's nothing to worry about. we can't wait to meet you, baby!!! and for the record, i'm going to guess boy. it's a 50/50 shot, right?

Dr. K is the best. So thankful to have such a great doc.

our beloved nana and papa have the week off this week for spring break, so they've of course have done what every person wants to do on spring break: hang out with the grandchild and help prepare for their second. i cannot begin to explain what a blessing it is to have such great parents who unknowingly express a huge amount of love by their daily actions. they never miss a beat, always stopping to see banks when they visit the grocery store, or have 10 extra minutes on their way somewhere east of wichita. it means the world to us that banks is so loved. that being said, i got a daily DAILY text & emails from papa last week about taking banks fishing over spring break. "what day does banks want to fish in between basketball games this weekend?" yes. in between basketball games, duh. "hey banks, what time are we going fishing tomorrow?" papa was excited. and so was banks. we had a fabulous time fishing with papa and nana. we caught 10 fish in about an hour! crappie, bluegill and trout! they were biting like crazy, which was great to keep banks entertained. he's still learning the whole patience thing that goes along with fishing. so am i.

nana spent the day with banks on monday, and did what i should have done during the weekend - cleaned the kitchen, did my laundry and more than i could ever ask for. she's the best. tuesday papa painted the nursery - neon mint (ekkk!) - which i'm in love with. today i bought the baby's crib & dresser. today i'm 23 weeks pregnant. after helping the sister in law register for her upcoming baby shower, which i'm so excited to host!!, i've realized it's time to get out the good ole' baby gear. 17 more to go.

and happy march madness to all!!! rock chalk, go shocks!

seventeen & eighteen

2014-02-13T12:36:00.002-08:00

due to the ridiculous amount of snow, i was forced to reschedule my 17 week appt. and saw Dr. K a little closer to the 18 mark. holy, almost halfway.whew. this kid is already throwing curve balls with a heartbeat that is fluctuating, that even those who believe in wives tales couldn't make an accurate assumption about the sex of baby k #2. we started our appts with a 178, then 164 and now a heartbeat of 152 just shy of 18 weeks. i looked back to week #17 with Banks and his heartbeat was 158. this game of numbers is just plain crazy. i've been feeling baby K#2 move quite a bit this week, especially after sweets! i'm so thankful and so blessed for this movement as i pondered upon this blog http://ohmifam.blogspot.com/2014/02/big-things-come-in-small-packages.html last night as i scrolled through Facebook before bed. don't read it unless you have a box of tissues in hand. but, please read it and please pray for this brave family who experienced something so awful.

conversations

2014-02-06T08:08:00.004-08:00

with banks are the happiest moments of my day. most days, we talk on our 15 minute ride to daycare about school buses, trucks, snow and rain and sometimes sunshine - "eyes hurt, so bright" is usually the way the 'moon' is described.
and then on the way home i will ask b how his day was. usually he'll just start talking jibberish and will say "see nana, see daddy, see papa, see hadley", which obviously doesn't answer my question.
then, the other day, when i asked him 'how was your day?' he responded.
"Good."
"What did you do today?"
"Play with Camden."
"What did you play?"
"We played with toys."
"Was it fun?"
"Playing toys is fun."
we had a conversation and it was awesome. and it made me realize how smart and witty this little boy is becoming.

Growing.

2014-01-26T10:19:00.003-08:00

Banks and I seem to be on the same page lately : we're growing.
His growth is a little more flattering than mine, though.
A few months ago I pinned a growth chart I was going to make - simple and easy, but then found the same thing for cheaper than I could make it, which rarely happens. Then a few weeks later my father-in-law gave me his kids' growth chart with all the markings. So now we are keeping track on both.

M&Ms for standing still - marking B's height is quite a task

B is 3 days shy of 26 months and is measuring 34.75".

Garrett measured 35" at 36 months - short stuff, and I was 33" at 24 months.

Our first baby is getting so BIG! He's no longer this chubby chunk....

he's such a tall, lean handsome boy....

... and while the boy grows up, momma's belly is growing OUT - it's a bump people!

BB Room

2014-01-17T13:36:00.002-08:00

It's no surprise that I'm pumped to design another room in the house. Although no room in our new home is complete, I usually don't finish a project before starting another, so nothing is new or out of the ordinary - because I purchased the first piece of the baby's room - a gold giraffe. When people ask what we're having my first reply is that 'we aren't yet that far along' and then I explain that we will not find out the sex before the baby is born and then i hear everything: "What? Why??" "How can you do that?" "You are brave!" "How will you have everything ready for the baby?" "How do you decorate a room? or buy clothes?" "... or pick out a name?" "You are crazy." Those are just a few of the responses Garrett and I get. The truth is. For us, it's not difficult. I think it brings SO much more excitement. SO much more to look forward to.
Anyways, I'm not a huge PINK person, and I for the most part like gender neutral decor. I'm also totally fine with adding and changing a room every week - it's a serious problem.
With Banks' room we decorated 'midly' and then added some pops of color after we found out 'he' was Banks!
We plan to do the same this time around and I'm loving my initial 'design board' I've put together. Happy paint shopping this weekend!

Banks & Baby

2014-01-14T08:50:00.001-08:00

time keeps on slippin' slippin' slippin' into the future (cue fly like an eagle by the steve miller band) i think it's finally starting to sink in that banks is no longer the 'baby' of the family. i can remember when we first told banks he was going to be a big brother and asking him if he thought it was a boy or a girl... he would repeat "boy or girl", but did not choose one or the other. yesterday, he was pointing to his aunt kelsey and saying 'girl' then to daddy and saying 'boy' and when i asked him if mommy was a boy or a girl, he replied 'girl'. he gets it. in just 2 months, he has learned something new and it amazes me what his little mind can retain. so, of course, we have asked banks what the baby will be. time after time we get 'girl'. not a surprise since no one has thought we were going to have another boy. boy or girl, we are so excited, and we plan to wait until sometime in july (when the baby is born) to find out the sex of baby K #2. in all honesty, it is the best surprise ever. i highly recommend waiting... although i highly recommend a lot of things, as my opinions on the subject of birth are almost all strong-willed. i think banks gets this stubbornness trait from his mama. i'm okay with that though, at least we know what we like, right? we've had two baby dr. appts since we found out we were expecting the first week in November. at what we thought was a 9 week appt, we were told the baby was reading an 8 week status, nothing like moving that due date back from the VERY beginning. the baby's heartbeat was 178 bpm and we were given the approximate due date of july 17, 2014. baby looked healthy and we couldn't complain. dr. K said 'it's a girl, just joking, but that's what everyone will tell you since the baby has a high heartbeat'. lots of 'baby kisses' from banks. two weeks ago, we had our 12 week appt. the baby's heartbeat was 162 bpm and dr. K said the exact same thing 'it's a girl'. I know that Dr. K has NO IDEA what the sex of the baby is, but it's fun to hear the guessing games begin already. headaches and tiredness are subsiding (a bit) and what they say about showing sooner with your second child is a FACT if i've ever heard one. i'm getting antsy to start working on the baby's room and trying to narrow my list of 53 names down to 5 or less. i'm name obsessed.

we cannot get enough of woody.

baby K #2 at 8 wks.

royal script : here

2014-01-05T10:02:00.002-08:00

just a few of my recent designs. it's too much work to keep up with two blogs.