sunday night pictures

coach k. undefeated until saturday's heartbreaking two point loss. record stands at 8-1. three games to go.

things are quiet around the hills household.

happy birthday to my daddy-o.

20 weeks, 2 days

February Funk in Full Effect

ugh. it is here. i made it till the 15th - halfway through. not too shabby. now i am dying for shorts and flip flops and tank tops. i can't handle cold feet and heating bills ANYMORE. there, i said it. i know we are all trying to be positive about this month. i can't do it anymore!!

i also can't handle:

• not yet having one of my w-2s. supposedly lost in the mail. i just want to file taxes.
  
• just this week, having to actually pay my claim from LAST JUNE for a spider bite so st. john's clinic in tulsa won't report me. (months and months of my dear, patient husband calling and harassing - the INSURANCE COMPANY told us to go to st. johns (we checked b/c we were out of state). mother lovers. and now, more than 6 months later, they are supposedly going to reimburse us the money. riiiiiiiight. IT ISN'T ABOUT THE MONEY AHOLES. besides my prenatal visits, i haven't been to a doctor for illness and/or medicine in over two years. i don't think i went once in college. and i dutifully pay my stupid insurance. karmically, i shouldn't have to pay f$300 for some stupid doctor to look at me for two seconds and some stupid pills that i took ONE of and had a terrible reaction to and THAT DIDN'T EVEN HELP.
  
• having to finally switch to direct tv b/c comcast is NOT, in fact, comcastic in any way, shape, or form. (after months of crappy reception/picture... and comcast insisting nothing is wrong. multiple visits and signal checks were made. somehow it never worked right. and karl and i are not cable-challenged.)
  
• my dog ate my breakfast shake that karl made me this morning. (roxy; arlo would never do something like that)
  
• having to sleep on either my left side or right side. aparantly, i used to sleep on my back. but now it is uncomfortable. stomach sleeping is not so much an option. really, it would be fine if my hips didn't hurt. (small complaint; i am still sleeping fine and the hip pain is really not so terrible)
• wishing my husband could feel the baby moving. god forgive me for even thinking about complaning about it, but i really wish he could share that with me. (I KNOW - SOON!!!)
  
• having no motivation. it is saturday night and i haven't done a single thing today. laundry is important. which brings me to my next point...
  
• having NOTHING to wear. so tired of the same pants over and over and over again. want to wear skirts and shorts. (see intro paragraph).
  
• having to go watch a boxing match tonight. i love sports. boxing is just not one of them. i'm sorry jermain taylor. i still hope you win and i know all of arkansas supports you. however, i don't want to watch you get knocked out in slow motion high definition television over and over and over again like last time.
  
• not being able to work out. no, i can work out. scrap that. just not being able to go so high intensity. no, scrap that. just feeling myself slowing down in general is a little frustrating. it's the little things, really, like getting in and out of cars. just makes a girl want to rest.
  
• feeling like this on the weekend!!!
  

You get no pictures this post.

On a plus side, these things are all minor and karl and i have reached a milestone: WE ARE HALFWAY DONE BASTING THIS BABY!!

20 weeks, 1 day

have no mango, mango

this week's fruit is a mango. that is all. my friend mere mere loves mangos and baby ono may share a bday with mere.

first person to put HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY on their blog gets mercilessly made fun of by me.

thanks for all the baby pool guesses so far. link is on the sidebar. i will be updating the rest of the guesses in the morning!

what i have learned about pregnancy this week: pregnancy is an excuse to get your friends to eat where you want, when you want. everyone loves feeding a pregnant lady. i have had three chic-fil-a cookies and creams shakes in five days. and i like neither ice cream nor chocolate. go figure. STILL NO MEXICAN FOOD ALLOWED!! boo.

19 weeks, 5 days

belly pics for now, weekend pics later!

jackie was here. caitlin was here. jennifer lenore was here. brooke was here. sarah was here. it still seems surreal they were all here. in my house. and now are gone. it makes me sad we all live so far (well, relatively far). i feel like not enough time was captured together. however, i will take it and appreciate it and cherish it. i don't think we had all been together (ALL TOGETHER) since the seven-year itch party (celebrating seven years of friendship last year)? thankfully, jackie took pictures!! i can't believe i didn't. it makes me sad. i will steal some from her and post at a later date. mostly, we just hung out. and chatted. (and ate! well, some of us ate and drank.) it felt familiar. i liked it. old friends are great and i am happy we all keep in touch and make the effort. i got to hear lots of 'you totally look preggo' from people who are familiar with my body shape/size. plus, helps they got to see me in tanks and barebellied - we aren't so much a modest bunch. ono got lots of belly loving. i know some pregnant woman are sensitive about other people touching their bellies, but i say bring it on. i am open like that and want my baby to get lots of love from lots of friends and family. and even strangers. before he or she is born. so, if you feel the urge to give a little pat, go for it. i won't mind.

karl completed his 20 mile run on saturday morning! shorter runs and the countdown to the marathon begins!

today is my cousin bridget's birthday. i miss her dearly. if i didn't have to work, i would go spend a week with her to celebrate. :)

i am feeling very lovey dovey today. again, i wait till sunday night to post the belly pics so the weekend FOOOD has had a chance to settle in and make me look extra pregnant. don't think i will need this crutch much longer!

i think i am going to go ahead and open the baby pool. it is totally too early, but whatever.
unlimited guessing. (however, each guess = $1.)
HERE IS A LINK to the pool.
You can submit your guesses online. Um, not sure how it is going to work exactly with the gathering of the cash money. Just think about it. I will bring it to all my showers. I don't know. Suggestions? You can mail it to me? I will tally the total on the site so you know how much you might win! you can ask me any questions you would like before you submit your guess.

19 weeks, 2 days

for lent i have given up alcohol (and watermelons)

sweet potatoes, fat tuesday, super tuesday, tornadoes, ash wednesday, busy week at work, the girls coming this weekend, and, um, well, i am one happy preggo lady. which is great, since it is february and all. let's hope the rest of the month goes by quickly and happily. Crossing fingers.

karl and i voted. not a bit of a line at our polling place. maybe b/c the tornado sirens were going off at the time. super tuesday was super scary around here. (more so outside of central ar; we only saw a bad storm and lots of wind). Shockingly (not at all), Hilary and Huckabee took Arkansas. i still don't understand why florida and michigan have no dem delegates b/c they voted before Feb 5? and why some states have reduced delegates by half (on the rep side?). Additionally, Mardi Gras and tornados across the country kept people away from polls, i guess? do you think thats true? I am confused.

ANYWAY, today is ash wednesday. go get your ashes and let me know what you are giving up for lent. this year its for sure the sauce for me. (my mom said they always used to say watermelon b/c it was never in season. who eats watermelon in february?) No, but for real, I am going to give up: _________. Um, help?

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (as though elections and tornados and religious sacrifices were not important enough!) I FINALLY had a "stranger comment" about my pregnancy at the gym last night. (it was just a 'hey, i didn't know you were pregnant! you are pregnant, right?') YEA! does that make it official?

Here is what the nestbaby.com (this is where i get all my ridiculous food comparisons) has to say about the sweet potato week: "Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you - WHICH I BEG TO DIFFER; I TOTALLY WENT TO STEP CLASS LAST NIGHT), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon."

18 weeks, 5 days

Decision 08: Kat's Baby Pool

the famous green tank for belly pics comingatcha this monday morning. (or maybe you are viewing them sunday night or whenever depending on when you check blogs!) the first pic is normal; the second pic is how i feel today. i know it's ugly but i feel a little ugly. i may or may not have cried this evening for 45 minutes because we didn't have enough butter for dinner making.

still no "stranger comments", but i think i look bigger than prior pictures, right? i am sticking it out best i can for you. i did break down and buy some "nice" maternity pants for work - the two pairs i have (one jeans, one brown slacks) just weren't cutting it. alternating two bottoms for weeks is a little sad, so i bought a nice pair of black slacks and some gray pants. i spent way too much money (which makes me angry) but hopefully they will last me through july. pants shopping isn't fun for short girls (even us short girls with "long" legs!) preggo or not.

additionally, it may not garner the same coverage as the election, BUT you know you all want to participate. The Hills Baby Pool will officially open on Friday, Feb 15. (that will be my 20 week point which equals half way.) You will guess the following information: Sex, Date, Time. The rules will be: if you guess the sex wrong, you are out. The winner (who will TAKE ALL) will be the closest time and date with the correct sex. Bets will be $1. Karl and I are working on a fun tracking method (read: something techy/webby!). Guessing will be available via email, but no guess is official without your cash $. (i guess if i won't SEE you, you can send via snail mail; i don't think pay pal is worth it for one dollar.) Pool will be in attendance at all showers and parties from here until July (maybe June?!?!) so you have plenty of time to decide. I'm guessing Baby Hills will get about 100 guesses, so, really, it is a good payout. $1 for $100. then you can buy Baby Hills something real nice. (HA! Kidding, the money will be all yours.) Start your engines, you can put your early suggestions in comments, but official bets won't be taken until the 15th.

karl and i spent a quiet weekend at home. shocking. i, selfishly, will be glad when the marathon is OVER so we can have our saturdays back! we ate 'the italian couple' saturday evening and i must say, it was awesome. i know it got some crap reviews around town when it first opened, but it was YUM YUM YUM last night. and BUSY.

today, i am thankful to be feeling good - albeit a little over-emotional - and that the giants beat the stupid patriots. on to march madness i say. (much more exciting!)

18 weeks, 2 days

yum yum yum

just got back from my step class and ONE of my neighbors is most definately making burgers on a grill/bbq b/c i can smell the meeeeeeeatt and i am drooooooling. literally. boo. wonder if they would mind sharing. ah, i will just make waffles. (clearly similar in food groups.). pretty much i feel food is amazing at this juncture in my life. yum yum yum. no worries. still only 6 pounds up. I ain't scared; I still weigh less than #'s i have seen on my scale non-pregnant. that's all i'm sayin.

i might be on my post work out high BUT i had to work hard to NOT overwork myself in my class tonight. i am pretty sure i could challenge, um, someone REALLY fast to a sprinting competition and WIN! right now. just sayin. i hope this energy sticks around for a few months.

i am watching 'the biggest loser'. god, i love this show. make FUN of me at your own will. i don't care. i love trainers bob and jillian. scary news about sugar in soda. eeks. (i like to pretend i don't know that i possibly consumed 50 plus pounds of sugar in a year by drinking ONE 12 ounce soda a day. i am blocking it out.)

i found this today: HOW AWESOME IS THAT? There are some sweet baseball pictures in the 1910 News Collection.

as a follow up to my earlier post about labor and delivery AND as part of my personal research: IF you read this blog and IF you have kids and have been through labor/delivery and wouldn't mind sharing your labor story or maybe your moms stories (what you know) with me i would love to hear it (send to me at h.kathleen@gmail.com). No judgement, (I have NO idea what i am going to do yet!) just sharing if you can. I got an email from my friend Mel with hers tonight and it made me happy. If it's too scary, please sugarcoat accordingly (not too much!). thank you. i know no one can really TELL YOU but it's nice to hear other women's stories.

17 weeks, 4 days

ono. are you in there?

here are some updated preggo pics - you can see from these more normal clothed pictures why people who don't know me wouldn't necessarily ask me if i was preggo. :)

our food size for this week in an onion - karl brought me one home and drew a face on it, so i thought i should include little onion ono in my pictures. roxy wanted to eat little onion ono. hopefully she does not feel the same about the real ono when he arrives (the debate rages on; i still say BOY, karl still says GIRL). the baby pool (yes, with real money) will begin SOON as i figure out how to create it.

i feel great. and i have gotten SO MUCH done lately. man, i wish i was this productive non-pregnant. seriously, it's crazy. karl and i have given goodwill like 8 boxes/bags, my kitchen is reorganized, our living room is painted, the laundry (in it's entirety!) is almost complete, and there is, as always, more to do, but i have lists and motivation. what more could a girl need? who wants to come over?

Anyway, I spent a lot of today reading books about birthing/labor. As most of you know, the thought of an epidural is waaaaaaaaay more scary to me than labor, so i am researching both epidurals and my options. And, yes, that means i am considering a more natural, drug free birth. read, considering. i will let you know. or well, maybe i won't, as, well, i am not really asking for your opinions about my body and pain tolerance (not being mean, just honest!). anyway i am just sharing some thoughts that i am having as we are creeping slowly toward the halfway point! (holy crap)

17 weeks, 2 days

omg she IS married

so, hey, this is karl. i know he hasn't gotten much blog play lately, so i thought i should give you a short update on him. and remind myself of warmer times simultaneously since the weather and my gas bill are both depressing. i asked him what he wanted updated about himself... no response. so hopefully i throw enough out there but not too much. okay... um, he is training for his second marathon (march in lr if anyone wants to come watch!). He ran a 16 last weekend and is running an 18 miler this weekend. yes, in the cold. and yes, you could run that far too (if you wanted to of course). please don't tell him he is crazy b/c he devotes a lot of time and energy and motivation to running and his heart is happier than the rest of ours. :) sorry for the slight rant; pet peeve of mine in response to any training program... running or otherwise. don't say you can't do it. just admit you don't want to.

he is coaching 7th&8th grade basketball again (third year) and his team is UNDEFEATED this year. which makes me happy since i am pretty sure his team didn't win one game in the past two years combined. they are the cutest bunch of kids and very respectful to their coach. (he finally made them start running laps at practice!! hehe!) i like to go watch them play and him coach though i get entirely TOO emotionally involved in the games i attend. nevertheless, pretty awesome.

on the job front, things have calmed. AS IN: IT IS STILL THERE! he. it *looks* like there will be an office in LR. Will keep you posted of course, but it appears Cincinnati is out of the picture for the moment (my slight excitement at the prospect of moving crushed, but, really, cincinnati isn't really where i would move, so no worries). Details are still being finalized and companies still changing hands, but it seems as if everything is going to be okay for us to remain in LR.

i will do a baby hills update this weekend. onofre-pintobean-brisket-poppy insertyournicknamehere hills seems to be okay in his incubator (did i tell you that my GP told me i sounded like a 'perfect little incubator' at my first appointment? hehe. let's hope he is right!!) to get your "kat preggo fix" i will leave you with some food details from today and yesterday:

diary of a preggo:
dinner: pulled pork shoulder, biscuits, corn (TODAY)
lunch: roast beef plate, mashed potatoes, carrots (TODAY)
lunch day before: beef brisket, double potato salad (YESTERDAY)

yum. MEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT. and i am hungry again. hamburger, anyone? no, WAIT, a HOT DOG!

16 weeks, 6 days

i can't tell you this week's baby food/fruit size

please believe i take these pictures at the end of the night and i stick it out a little. i have yet to have a stranger comment. (read: i can still hide it!) i am up 6 lovely pounds. yee haw. i'm going to attribute a solid two to, um, my chestal region.

i can't tell you this weeks fruit/food size. it begins with avo and ends with cado. ::RETCHING:: i honestly didn't believe in food aversions but when i think of guacamole i just...well, i just can't, so let's change the subject and hope for no more fruit/food sizes related to mexican food.

here is what my US reminded me of (warning: it's from the last unicorn (retched yet awesome 80s movie; and one of my all time favs) and you will probably think i am nuts after this video but it's my blog and i will post whatever i want!) :THE SKULL SPEAKS. not the baby itself, just the freaky skull & bones part.

in general i feel great - i can't express this enough; i forget i am preggo half the time - but tonight i have a bit of a migrane. boo. i think i shall go ni ni. more news to follow...

16 weeks, 2 days

skull and crossbones, cardinal and straw

dear friends and family and perfect strangers that i have made fun of,
i would like to make a confession. 1. ultrasound pictures kind of freak me out (this is still true even after this morning) 2. i may or may not have been weirded out by seeing your personal US alien pics. 3. i am sorry. ish.

i was dead set on not showing anyone the pics or posting them on the bloggity. i mean, they really are somewhat freaky, right? (am i crazy!? i mean the whole 'growing another human being in your body' concept is a little freaky itself, so actually SEEING it should be too, right?! make fun of me at your own will.) ANYWAY, i was fully prepared to keep them to myself. AND what did i do all day? Oh yea, I walked around my office clutching the little scraps of paper to me, and dreamily accosting all the people that don't know (which is pretty much the whole office as i just told my boss yesterday) that "I HAVE A PICTURE TO SHOW YOU" and then forcing them to study the US pics and say things like "adorable. congrats." and what not. like yes, a skull and the outline of some bones and a spinal cord is just the cutest thing and a sure indicator of how adorable my child will be. and i won't apologize for it. it was super fun to share. (i do admit it!)

(this may be a longish post). karl and i had a great ultrasound this morning. i was so nervous and anxious. (i have severe test anxiety - no matter the test. i attribute it to attending a competitive all-girls school. ah, high school. i thank you for so many things!) ANYWAY, i didn't sleep much/well with all the excitement.

the doc asked that i try to go in with a full bladder so i chugged a bunch a water before hand. thankfully, we didn't have to wait long as i have the worldest most ridiculously sized bladder. i still paced around the exam room while karl begged me to sit down and relax. i asked him if he was nervous and/or anxious and he said 'no i am sure the baby will be waving at us in just a few minutes'. ARGH - i have no idea how he was so calm. it kinda pissed me off. but, thankfully, he was SOOOOOO right.

OH AND we told the doc we for sure did not want to know the sex.

doc said everything measured and looked great. he is very no-nonsense which i appreciate since me no likey the doctors office. it was very matter-o-fact. big sigh of relief. so far i am three for three on puking the morning of my doctor's appointments. ah good luck vomit. what would i do without you?

16 weeks.

i have nothing to say.

i think this is a first in the history of my blog. i have nothing to say. for real. i don't get it. someone give me a topic. HELP. surely, i have news. i have talked to lots of people. i just can't think of ANYTHING. maybe i should delete. GO AWAY WRITERS BLOCK; you are ANNOYING.

my feet are cold. my hair looks pretty today. i can't stop eating sunflower seeds. i got a raise. karl got a raise. he got a bonus. um. somehow we went to the same college, got the same (similar) degrees from the same business schools, got the same grades. SO WHY DOES HE MAKE SO MUCH MORE MONEY THAN ME? just sayin.' some days it bothers me, some days it doesn't. (raise time makes it bothersome). i know he works in corporate, and i have switched jobs, and there are pros and cons about both and all and vomitey voms. BUT STILL. i know we are both lucky to have jobs and like them (and rec. raises). BUT STILL.

karl and i have this thing that we do: we call it the million dollar challenge. i won't tell you all the details but it is (loosely) a competition - has to do with making money, contributing... (blah, blah). I just finished checking our 07 budget and working on 08. Pretty much he is KICKING MY ASS. somewhat embarrassing. ah, well. such is life. money is the devil anyway.

on a positive note, my husband can't keep track of $$ to save his life. AND I CAN (that is the positive part)! TAKE THAT. that is how we are debt free!! (well, besides those pesky student loans.) i always tell him if it were in his hands, he would see how fast he could race each pay check to zero. (and eat $1 hungry man meals for the days before his next paycheck; true and disgusting story.)

there. that was semi-interesting, right? kinda? i'm pregnant. you have to say yes.

15 weeks, 5 days

naval orange please.

here is my bebe fruit this week. a naval orange. yuck0. we had a lovely weekend filled with FOOOOD and friends. we got to hang with john and leslie for a bit and had a ball (per usual) played 'loaded questions' (it is a good thing the baby can't hear anything b/c we got pretty rowdy. earmuffs.). i made kristen go to ihop with me (even though she had just eaten) where i proceeded to eat a hamburger, french fries, coke, and a short stack of pancakes with maple syrup. (i made her order the pancakes!) It was not so much a craving as just not really normal. :) i have not experienced any dramatic cravings - i am more on the food aversion train. i haven't eaten mexican food since we got back from mexico. the thought of guacamole makes me want to vomit. like, i honestly could not force myself to put a tortilla with lettuce and meat on it in my mouth. i am getting icky tummy just typing this. it is very bizarre (i really can NOT do it; even if you gave me money!) as i love mexican food. (i can't even eat cheese dip people!!)


things on the agenda this week:

• my eval with my boss. :)
• karl's eval with his boss :) (hopefully we will both be richer at the end of the week)
  
• doctor's appointment on friday

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS BLOG:
::AHEM::
everyone please go say HELLO to bridget on her new blog! YIPPY. aren't they all STINKIN' adorable!?!?

15 weeks, 3 days

i was just about to...

i was just about to write this great post about how great i feel and how cute i look and how much energy i have and on and on with the puking rainbows and sunbeams and what not, and I thought i would make karl take a picture of my cute belly (seen here post a big dinner; it is always big at night and after food) and post a little belly pick for everyone to see. AND THEN I UPLOADED THE PICTURES. and they all looked ridiculous and/or HIDEOUS in some fashion or another and i almost threw the computer at the wall. for real. but karl paid for this computer and it was a gift and i probably shouldn't break it. (so i gave the keyboard a few hearty smacks). then i thought what the hell. and here it is. you aren't looking at my face and hair anyway, right!?!?

14 weeks, 5 days

arlo is watching the dog whisperer.

shhh. he is learning how to be nice to other dogs and share with his sister. oh cesar milan. you even get my doggies to watch television. arlo also wants to show you his hitler mooo-stache and his little old man beard.

i have been hitting the gym this week! oh january in the gym. i recognize NO ONE. my class tonight was packed with people i have never seen before. i give them till mid-march. maybe.

the belly is getting bigger. but no 'stranger comments' yet. 14 weeks, 4 days.

why do the weekends seem so fast sometimes

i am happy to say that karl and i had a very productive weekend. i took the christmas shite down all by myself - gleefully, i might add, as i was not sad AT ALL to see that stuff go packin to the attic. though i don't understand my husband's lights-on-tree method. those strands were deep and tangled in that dang tree. ah, well, what do i know about tree lights? NOTHING! (well, now, how to rip them off!)

one of our constant resolutions (new years and all year!) is to de-clutter. so i did a little of that. AND we finally picked a paint color and started painting the freaking living room. this is something that we have intended to do since we moved in (almost three years ago). with the whole we might relocate (have to sell our house!) question floating around in our heads, we have been really trying to get to those types of things. IT IS A GREAT COLOR. i am in love. (we had to go back for a second color. the first was a little pastel. we are NOT pastel people.) i will now be a little more sad if we wind up moving; it is a happy, calm living room. and i love it. the picture doesn't do it proper justice. i will post another when it is all restored to order. it is a rich kinda greeney browney beatifulness... you can see the strip of the REJECTED color by the closet door. that is as much as we got on the wall before looking at each other with wrinkled ICK noses and heading back to the paint store. (and i didn't even cry! this was a nice change for karl.)

big UPs to chandle and david. there are some hot wedding pics from their big day in las vegas' red rock canyon. congrats to them both!! don't they look great!?

let's see. onofre - this is the baby's name-in-womb by the way... named after one of our friends from our mexico trip whose sex was questionable (think pat from SNL). our dear friend jenny can't say onofre; she says ononofre. spanish isn't her strong suit but it makes for funny fetus naming. either one works for me. sometimes we just say ono. ANYWAY onofre is the size of a large lemon. so far he has been sized as such (in increasing order): poppyseed, appleseeds, sweet pea, blueberry, rasberry, green olive, prune, lime, plum, and peach. what a yummy baby. according to the baby bibles, yum yum weighs about 1.5 ounces and is about 4 inches. there are probably teeth (creepy and in the gums obviously) and hair and eyebrows (start of). aparantly there is lots of stretching, yawning, hiccupping, and all around baby acrobatics going on 'in there' but i can't feel a darn thing except the lovely migranes! i also have a daily preggo book - yea they make a daily one that gives you THE EXACT DAY (haha. right.) stuff happens such as the baby's spleen maturation and when your dilated breast veins will EXACTLY appear. it is a little much BUT today does say the baby's neck is defined and the head now rests on the neck instead of shoulders. (tyra would be pleased. you know how she can't stand no-necks.)

14 weeks, 2 days

baby or ipod: you make the call

so one thing i find a little (lot) crazytown:

with karl's insurance (which is pretty fabulous) this is what we have to pay in medical costs for baby:

One co-pay for ALL my doc visits: $15
One co-pay for the hospital: estimated b/w $200-$250 dollars. (not sure what drugs that covers)

so, essentially, it will cost less for prenatal care and to birth my child than to purchase an ipod nano.

that's a little (lot) messed up.

have a good weekend. i am going to smoke crack while jumping on a trampoline. (both on the list of no-no's for pregnant women.)

14 weeks.

preggo my leggo? leggo my preggo?

i am in bed. oh yea. it's 8:30. growing a human inside of you requires a lot of sleep. we spent NYE in glorious TULSA, OKLAHOMA. (a quick, single night trip!) i made it until MIDNIGHT and even had a sip or two of champagne. we spent a loverly evening with matt dill who is leaving for SINGAPORE for two years and ryan sheehan. and, of course, we hit the munsells and the knights house for some tulsa loving. freaking flatlanders. we will miss COY matthew terribly; he actually DOES have a blog: cmdill.blogspot.com where he already has some singapore pics from his last visit. i'm not gonna lie; it looks pretty sweet and i desperately look forward to some updating (karl and i may be a bit jealous). he leaves tomorrow the 3rd - send lots of good travel vibes his way b/c i believe the flight is almost 24 hours. we shall skype with him often i hope. AND if you can believe it I DID NOT TAKE ONE SINGLE PICTURE of us ringing in 2008. HORRIBLE aren't i?

so instead i will show you my beer gut. B double E double R U-N. the white top was taken a few hours ago (we are taking that tree down this weekend - the damn thing finally decided to smell this week. go figure.) and the green top was taken a week or so ago. the christmas tree pants are a wardrobe staple these days (totally hot, right? - think they will hold up until july? i FULLY intend to wear them to L&D). so, what do we think? Is it A BUMP?!?!? HA. that little thing in there is the SIZE OF A PEACH (more on this sizing thing later; it fascinates me) this week so the bumpage is still pretty easy to hide. THOUGH when you press on the beer gut, it's pretty hard. most beer guts are soft and squishy. (i know, from experience.) PLUS lots of people have those few extra holiday pounds going on so i feel safe for another few weeks. i have also stealthily been adding some flow-ey tops to my wardrobe. not one person (unawares of the 'condition') has said a thing to me so far. i waver between enjoying this fact and wishing that they did notice. i won't be telling my boss for a little longer so KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. i have some bare belly pics, but i can't decide if they are blog-appropriate.

13 weeks, 5 days

still no word on karl's job situation. it is a waiting game. and not a very fun one.

happy new year!

so yea. karl and i are expecting, adding a new addition to the family, pregnant, have a bun in the oven, knocked up, in the family way, eating for two, preggers, with child, um... i am running out of pregnancy slang... please contribute your favorites in the comment section.

bridget got her wish: we were pregnant at the same time!! not very long since she delivered mylee jayne shortly after this picture and i didn't actually know i was pregnant until a few days after this picture.

so this is our big BLOG announcement!! *HOPEFULLY* we have gotten to tell most of you in person or over the phone. *HOPEFULLY* friends and family that were sworn to secrecy did not tell you. and, if you knew, and you let the secret leak, well, that is dissappointing. for you. and the people that you told. because they got to find out second hand. and that sucks.

so here are the answers to the FAQs:

• i am 13 weeks, 1 day (as of this morning). That is pretty much thru the first trimester/first third. (big sigh of relief!)
• i have been pregnant since BEFORE halloween, i was pregnant in mexico! (BOO!), and for thanksgiving and all the happy hours and christmas parties in between and after. FAKE drinking is FUN. (fooled ya!)
• karl and i agreed not to tell the world until we heard a heartbeat/had an US. we heard a strong heartbeat (160 something) at 12 weeks exactly right before xmas. doc says chances of a miscarriage at this point are SLIM to NONE. yea. it was a great christmas present to share. it made the secret worthwhile.
• my official due date according to the doctor is july 5. but july 4th is much easier to remember.
• we have our first Ultra Sound January 18 at 16 weeks. (i don't know why they measure it in weeks; it is secret doctor code. it is like measuring babies age in months. 18 months old? JUST SAY ONE.)
• we are NOT finding out if it is a boy or girl. it is going to be a surprise. you can buy me things in green and yellow and orange (and even pink and blue if you are bold!). i promise it won't ruin the fun of buying baby gifts or decorating a nursery. (not that you have to buy us any gifts, but if you do it will still be fun!)
• we don't have any names yet. ALTHOUGH john robus hills, eric desjardin hills, and phillip matthew price matheny hills HAVE already been suggested.
• matt price is in the lead in the running for godparent. he has given us a presentation. though, if we have a girl, he might not be interested.
• i am not really showing (i can tell. you probably can't.) i FOR SURE look bigger than that picture above! i will post a picture tomorrow or monday. you can be the judge. it just looks kinda like a beer gut. i have gained two pounds. pretty good for three months. momma said she didn't show till month 5 or so. i can wait.
• um, let's see, this is getting lengthy. i feel good. i have had some morning sickness. (nausea and vomiting both.) karmically, i think that is good. i don't mind puking. it is those girls that HATE throwing up that shouldn't have to do it. i have had some cramping, a few migranes (new to me!) and some bloody noses. and some searing pains in my ass. literally. all of which doc said are fine and normal. i promise to try and not gross you out. it really hasn't been bad at all. i sleep a lot and i feel pretty normal!!

I will stop for now. I will try not to blog SOLEY about the pregnancy BUT i have been keeping it a secret for three months so I kind of need to get some of it OUT of my brain. i still feel nervous it's not real or something is going to happen, but we are really trying to enjoy this time, and i hope i can share a little of it with you all. if you have any more questions or i missed something major, let me know and i will address it next blog.

the great christmas carol debate

so the great debate of chicken dance vs. duck dance (DUCK!) and bbq pit vs grill (BBQ PIT!) and kitty corner versus katty corner (KITTY!) and binki vs paci (BINKI!) and oh so many more rages on.... karl and i discovered one more this christmas... we were on our way back from church with our nephew fisher and were listing to rudolph the red nosed reindeer... and we are singing all the silly parts... rudulolph the red nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose... glows LIKE A LIGHT BULB... they wouldn't let poor rudolph play any reindeer games LIKE MONOPOLPY and so on and so forth and we get the part where they say... YOU'll GO DOWN IN HISTORY... LIKE ____________. You fill in the blank here. Remember the price of our friendship is on the line here if you get it wrong.

blink blink blink blink

so, speaking of careers, we received some interesting news today:

here is one of the many articles about it
here is another one

so we aren't really sure what it means yet for karl and his job. basically, it could mean a variety of things... they could keep an office here and karl would stay there, they might work remotely and he would work from a home office, it might mean an offer for a job in Cincinnati, it might mean a whole new job, um, it might mean many things. and, of course, no one can give a definate answer at this point. we are optimistic whatever the outcome it will be good - karl is great at his job (of course) and a great employee so I (personally) am pretty confident he will be just fine. BUT STILL. geez. merry freaking christmas! don't stress out over the holidays.

more news to come... we'll keep you posted. you might just have a new city to visit: friends in OHIO! (we are destined to never leave the mid-west/mid-south)

things about me: 2007

when i was younger (oh so much younger than today), here are some career choices i did and did not want to make:

think grade school:

things i did not want to be when i growed up:
1. an astronaut
2. a vet
3. a race car driver
4. a dancer (not the dirty kind) (i knew i wasn't graceful even then. we have some video of me at age 4 telling everyone i wanted to be a ballerina and then performing the most horrid, spastic dance you have ever seen. ever. not meant for me. ever.)
5. a cop

things i did want to be when i growed up: (keep in mind these are childhood thoughts)
1. the first woman to play major league baseball (think there is still a chance?)
2. a fashion designer (i drew many outfits)
3. a daycare owner (see? i liked kids when i was 10. now? i still like kids but owning a daycare? i think no. for me.)
4. an author (oh the stories i wrote... in them someone always died or lost a limb.)
5. an artist of some sort (this one lasted till maybe early high school when i lost interest.)
6. a hockey player (this was a brief desire b/c i can't really ice skate very well. well, and i hate being cold.)

things i wanted to be in college:
1. um. i had no idea.

i was always jealous of those people who "knew" where their careers would take them - especially doctors, nurses (no way i could stomach being a nurse or doc), lawyers... you know, the "dream i'm-gonna-be-a-doctor-when-i-grow-up careers" that people just know they want to pursue. and do. and are successful at it.

and now? well, now I work in Advertising for a successful publication company. And I like it. It's fun and my company is great (remember that mandatory week of at christmas? it's paid. oh yea.). I may not do this exact JOB forever, but I'm good at it and my company appreciates me.

Still figuring it out, right? I'm not all growed up yet. I have plenty o time. :)

Christmas Party 2007

isn't it beautiful? leah created it. it makes me happy. we had a great time and came home with some great gifts - a traditional nepalese corta (which karl wore for a good portion of the evening) and a potato pellet gun (it worked!).

laundry is in the wash. mac and cheese and hotdogs and kool-aid were made for dinner. 50 first dates is on the tv. fleecy blankets are piled high. one more week of work until the holiday break.

i can't figure out this photo. but you get the gist. it's FABULOUS.

rudolph ain't got nothin on me

hey guys! i am trying to be cheerful today when all i really want to do is nap so i busted out my rudolph light-up nose that i won from the family christmas snatch at turkey time! (it is cold and raining and the perfect hibernation weather!!)

here are some things i am looking forward to:

• having the week between christmas and new years off (company policy baby!)
• not traveling for christmas
• spending christmas with karl's parents and kim and sean and the boys (we haven't had christmas in LR in awhile!)
  
• leah and blue's annual christmas party this saturday (i am going to make stuffed mushrooms again. both veggie-tarian style (read: MORE cream cheese!) and meat lover style (read: MORE cream cheese sprinkled with bacon!)
  
• wearing a tacky christmas sweater to the party AND possibly to work next week sometime (who is with me?!)
  
• smelling our real live xmas tree (yea it is half decorated. the lights are on. it smells delish. MOST of the ornaments are on. it has no star. it is shedding minimal needles. yum yum yum.)
  
• the sheer number of time i use parenthesis in a post (what? i like them!)
  
• ANTM finale is tonight and, despite this cycle being incredibly lame (sauce), i still have a shot at winning our fantasy league.
  

things i am cranky about:

• bobby petrino leaves the atlanta falcons (mid-season!) to join the arkansas razorbacks as head coach. it is not so much that i am CRANKY about that specifically i am just TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT IT! (bringing it up helps, right?!)
  
• counting down the days until 12/21 (last day before the holiday!) is driving me nutso. yep, nutso. can it please be that day please?
  
• all my friends in tulsa who have no power and will "hopefully get it back before christmas "... yikes. please don't start fires in your homes. that is very risky.
  
• the rain, rain. i like the rain. maybe this should go on the happy list.
  

ok i am going to figure out what my husband is feeding me for dinner. goodnight ya'll. ;)

magazine coverage

look - it's me! (scanned from a magazine). i got to play in a photo shoot for one of our publications at work (a perk of working in publishing)- it is a meeting planner "helper" which is appropriate for me as my last job was as a meeting planner. i have tried to block out that whole period of my professional life! i loved the work, but MAN do you guys remember how miserable i was!!?! thank god that is over. i still feel happy about my decision to leave there. ANYWAY, the article was about different generations and how they view conferences/meetings (i was portraying the gen y-ers... which we are pretty much on the cusp of gen x - gen y BUT i look like i am twelve years old so it all worked out ... the gen y'ers like to bring their lap tops, i pods, pdas, and cellulars to their meetings so they can multi-task!). So there you have it! FUN PHOTOS from me.

let's see. today is my dear friend kristy's bday. Special wishes for a great day to her.

Jennifer and Jeff visited Little Rock this weekend on a whim which made for a fabulous weekend... i love unexpected lovely surprises such as that one. we made a roast and watched movies. i liked it.

My company christmas party was on Friday. It was as lame as i expected it to be, but we still had a good time.

i have a migrane today. at least i think it is a migrane. it's pretty much THE worst head ache i have ever had... there is lots of pain. i don't do medicine, so it's been a quiet day with the lights off. suggestions that don't require pill popping? ANYONE?? it hurts behind my eyes real bad.

oh the weather outside is delightfully warm

things i did and did not do this weekend:

- i bought ONE christmas present. one. and i think i am going to take it back.
- i decorated nothing.
- i got no tree.
- i cleaned minimally.
- i cooked not at all *unless you count heating things up*

maybe this whole get into christmas thing isn't working out.

pretty much i feel like a worthless piece! :) my windows are open (70!) and i am going to take a nap with that nice breeze blowing in!

also, i went to the store (grocery style). Can someone please tell me why milk is like $4.50? Seriously. Karl and I each drink a gallon a week (at the least! and of the 2% variety!). It is becoming a more expensive habit than smoking! I NEED MY MILK. what can we do about this!?

so right thanksgiving was last week

the babies, the games, the master chef, the siblings. ahhhh. so nice. and on to christmas. this year (for quite possibly the first time ever, er, since i was a child?) i am attempting to be excited for the holiday season. my first step in the right direction is to watch the tree lighting (on tv) at rock-a-fella center in nyc. i also have been dreaming up christmas card ideas and making christmas lists. karl and i are planning on getting a tree (only our second ever in our christmas history)(we'll see if it happens!) and i might try and (gasp) bake something this year. like cookies. TAKE THAT ST. NICK.

we saw snow flurries!

just got back from the holiday in stl. the drive back was LONG and MISERABLE. it was raining when we left st. louis and it raining all the way to little rock and it is still raining now! we left early to make sure we could get the dogs on time but weather and accidents delayed us - many thanks to eric for getting the doggies from the hotel. now we are cuddled up with some pizza and the amazing race. i have turkey day pictures - but they are still on my camera and i am too lazy to get them right now. i CAN say the food was DELICIOUS. i ate like a champ! food and family makes a delicious holiday. more to come.

thanksgiving makes me happy

How to make a turkey:
1. you get a gun
2. you shoot a turkey
3. you pull out the feathers
4. and put it in the microwave for four hours

(excerpts from an old class of my aunt jayne - recipes by 5 years olds).

Kat's Mashed Potatoes - exact science
1. get you some big brown potatoes (no red; too wet)
2. peel them
3. cube them
4. boil them (a lot till they are mushy; maybe 40-45 for a big batch)
(THESE THINGS DON't TAKE THAT LONG and you can actually make homemade mash more than once a year at thanksgiving)
5. drain them
6. put a lot of butter(real and salted), salt, and milk (2% or above preferably)
7. use a machine or mixer to whip the crap out of them. (periodically checking for more salt, butter, or milk)
8. when there are no more lumps and they are smooth and fluffy and you just know they are finished, you are ready to eat (though in my case, i have been taste testing the whole time).
9. serve (with or without gravy)
10. eat (at least one helping!)

karl and i got in a potato product arguement (it was very exciting). i just don't think thanksgiving is for any other potatoes other than mashed and sweet potato casserole. he says cheesy potatoes or other potato-ey casseroles are ok. (they are so not okay). what kind of taters do you have on turkey day?!

tailgating and resting

low key weekend. i slept till 11 and made sunday stew. i just ate said stew so i am kind of in a stew coma and my thoughts are all full and hazy and i want to sleep more. who is with me?

easing into the cold weather. need new clothes. excited for turkey and taters. eyes closing. can't form complete sentences. goooooooood night.

back to life, back to reality

so. being off for a week. well, it's great, but coming back? yea, that kind of sucks. i think that is the first week long vacation from a job i have ever taken (look ma i'm all growed up!). Things are crazy at work. I can't seem to catch up. Boo Peeka. (this too shall pass, right?). is it awful that i am already looking forward to the turkey day holiday?!!? (probably not). karl is in san fran all week for work (he will be out of the office for two weeks!!) for a conference and i am bored at home and browsing the internet. the internet is not interesting today. not so much. anyone have any good sites they have stumbled upon lately? i need entertainment and laughter (i just cried thru the entire hour and a half of the biggest loser - STUPID SHOW GETS ME EVERY TIME!).

what does one do when ones significant other is out of town?

• eats buttered noodles with lots of garlic salt and parmesean for dinner three nights in a row
• lets arlo sleep in the bed with me (also going on three nights in a row)
• accidentally on purpose forgets to take out the trash so i have something for him to do when he comes back (though it is starting to smell a bit so i might have to give in on this one!)
• turns the heat up at night (just a little! like i even need it anyway it was freaking 80 degrees here today!)
• watches all kinds of girly movies on the tube (like 'because i said so' - a movie featuring mandy moore and lorelie gilmore)
• breaks the husbands computer several times (curse it, fix it, don't ever tell) (WHAT? he stole my mac book!)
• sleeps with the lights (and maybe the tv) on.
• goes in a little late to work (normally karl and i carpool and he is a stickler for being there at 8; my office is like a freaking mourge at 8)
• gets ready for work in complete and utter silence. the way the morning time should be. ah, the joy. no tv, no lights, no doggies, no cereal crunching heard for miles, no cover ripping offing, no singing made up annoying good morning songs.
• and maybe miss him. and even those dang good morning songs. just a little.

on the homefront

i am so happy to announce a safe delivery of the cronin clan's newest addition: bridget and brian (and joe and isabel) welcome mylee jayne (making her first blog apperance here via camera phone! happy sigh!)

additionally i would like to extend special congratulations to our friends, elizabeth and jeremy, who just got engaged!! so happy for those two.

i don't think i can go to work tomorrow. seriously.

casa de angela and the gang

at the aeropuerto leaving mexico...
i don't want to leave (and look possibly like an anorexic orphan)... jenny and jeff's wedding present from us: dinner at le kliff (literally built into a cliff overlooking the water. quite possibly the coolest dining atmosphere EVA. )
the bride and groom dance the dance.
luke looking cool with his shades and cigar - TAKING MORE PHOTOS!
the sun is setting - the sun saved the most beautiful set of our trip for the wedding night.
little island people lounging in the pool
the first group toast: TO MEXICO!!
we told karl to "suck it in"
the aforementioned mosquito netting on the beds! the whole villa was open air - showers, toilets, bedrooms, common areas, all of it!! i looooved showering with a view! the view from our bathroom shown below.... the only time i have ever enjoyed my small bladder! HA!

our first meal in puerto vallarta - karl blew us a little tune. un pacifico por favor.
so the trip was awesome as i am sure you have seen some of the pics already on both melissa and brooke's blogs!! they both did a much better picture taking job than me. oh well! the villa was, as stated, awesome on all accounts. we decided we are so spoiled now that we can never travel again with out a staff (the villa had a chef, TIMO whose food was AMAZING, our house man SAUL (sa-oool who took care of us on so many levels), and his assistant ONOFRE. they seriously took care of everything. food, drinks, problems, everything. the open air concept was awesome... no air conditioning or real private spots, just an amazing amount of fresh air, sunshine, and happy smiles. cabs were cheap! (like $4 to get from the villa to downtown where we did some shopping!) it was an experience like no other and karl and i still can't get over it or thank jenny and jeff and her family enough for including us.

sleeping in mosquito netting is as cool as it looks

the internet at the villa is pretty slow and it is taking too long to upload images so i think you are going to have to wait until we get back for more pics!

we miss you all. er.

today was an amazing day in PV!!

i took this picture with my camera!

hola como estas? Esta aqui.