Sunday, October 23, 2011

the final countdown.

Kyle and I have had several 'last' date nights over the last month. Obviously not all of them were the real last date before baby, but I felt like we needed to squeeze in a few extra fun nights before our little girl arrives. 

I also felt the need to snap pictures before each one, just in case it would turn out to be the last one. Kyle was very sweet to indulge me, not only in such fun dates, but in our self-timer photo shoots. 

A few Fridays ago we decided that we were bored and wanted to get out of the house. We wanted to do something more than just dinner so we hit up the local bowling alley before getting something to eat. We had a great time and it was fun to add something that we don't usually do to the date night routine.


Two weeks ago I got it in my head that we needed another last date. I mentioned several times during the week that I wanted to go on a real date. Bless sweet Kyle for putting up with me when I say ridiculous things like that. I mentioned to him that I missed the days when he had to ask me out on a date in advance and when dates were more 'official' than just getting in the car and going out to the usual restaurant. Seriously, the guy deserves a medal for putting up with me. I don't even know what I mean when I request such absurd things as real, official dates, I'm not sure how I expect him to decipher my codes.

Apparently he was paying attention because on this particular Saturday he went to the grocery store for me (which was already pretty stinking romantic to a 38 week pregnant girl) and came home with a beautiful bouquet of fall flowers. He also informed me that he had made dinner reservations at a restaurant that neither of us had ever been to before. After a minor 'what am I going to wear?!' meltdown, I was very excited about our fun night out!

(poor pregnant girl, it looks like I have dislocated my hip and am about to fall over. At least my husband is handsome and my fall wreath is pretty)

Dinner was so much fun! It was a small, local restaurant. The head chef/owner came out to meet us and congratulated us on our baby girl. They even had balloons waiting for us at the table, such a sweet, thoughtful touch! There was live jazz music and the most delicious food. We had such a great time. It was a really special night out.

And with our due date right around the corner, we decided to have one more last date this weekend. This one was pretty low key, but a great time nonetheless. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants and Kyle treated me to a Dairy Queen blizzard for dessert. The pregnant gal in this picture looks a little more exhausted than on the previous two last dates, but we had to snap a picture anyways. 


I am so glad we squeezed in all of these fun nights right at the end of our pregnancy. It has been so nice to get out of the house and spend some quality time together, away from baby to-do lists and the television. I think it is so important for all couples to real time together and I think that becomes even more important when little ones enter into the picture. I am thankful we took the time to do this now and set aside some time for one another before our little bundle of sweetness arrives. 


Saturday, October 22, 2011

birthday pup.

As we sit at home waiting for Annabelle's birthday, another very special someone had a birthday that needed celebrating!



Our sweet four-legged, one-eyed Tucker turned 2 today. We celebrated with a trip to the dog park. Tucker wore himself out with running and chasing the other dogs.



We had to wait until Tucker decided to take a rest so we could get some pictures with the birthday boy.



It was about 40 degrees when we left for the park so I had a bit of a hard time finding anything that would fit my giant belly and keep me warm. I'm surprised the buttons are still on this cardigan after squeezing myself into it!


He has spent the rest of his birthday napping and playing with his new birthday toy. Not a bad day for our guy!

This time last year Tucker was turning a year old and was about a month away from having emergency eye surgery. I remember being so scared that he would never be the same after having his eye removed and that our sweet, energetic puppy would be gone forever. It made me so happy to see him running around the park today, still as crazy and happy as ever.  Two surgeries haven't slowed him down at all!

Happy birthday to Tucker! 



Sunday, October 9, 2011

37 weeks (3 days late).

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 37 weeks (on Thursday) Full term!!
Size of baby: According to thebump.com, Annabelle is the size of a watermelon. Try to wrap your head around that one, I simply cannot. They say she is between 18.9 and 19.2 inches long and anywhere between 6.2 and 9.2 pounds. That weight estimate made me laugh out loud! There is a big difference between 6.2 and 9.2 pounds! I have a feeling this little nugget is closer to the 9.2 mark.
Maternity Clothes: That's a big ol' y-e-s. If I am spending the day at home, I usually just wear comfy pants and one of Kyle's tshirts. Now that it is getting cooler outside, I have a few non-maternity dresses that I can wear with tights. For the most part though, I have a handful of items that still fit me and I am sick of them all.
Gender: It's a girl! Annabelle Rae Krueger
Movement: Yes, lots! We had a little scare a few weeks ago when the princess decided to have a very lazy morning. It scared us half to death and Kyle ended up taking me to the doctor to get checked out. They hooked me up to some monitors and about 15 minutes later she was having herself a little dance party. She has been making her presence very known since then. I am trying to enjoy every little kick and bump because I know they are almost over and I think I am really going to miss them.
Sleep: I am actually sleeping pretty well which I am incredibly thankful! A few weeks back my sleep wasn't that great, I was waking up a lot and had a horrible time getting comfortable. Kyle upgraded me to a better pregnancy pillow and it has truly made all the difference. I wake up one or two times a night to use the restroom but that's about it. 
What I miss: Just the usual end of pregnancy complaints. I miss sitting on the couch comfortably and I really miss being able to run more than two errands without feeling completely exhausted. 
Cravings: Last week I needed some Domino's thin crust pizza in a bad way. We ate lots of this when I was first pregnant so I guess I decided to bring it back at the end of this whole adventure.
Symptoms: Some might say that I am a bit more emotional than usual. I also get pretty sore if I do to much in any given day. I had a few days last week where I ran lots of errands or cleaned the house really well and my body was not happy with me the next day. I've been trying to take it easy since then and give myself plenty of time to rest.
Best Moment this week: We had an ultrasound about a week and a half ago. We couldn't get any great pictures of Annabelle because she is running out of room, but it was really great to see her again! Judging from what we could tell, she has Kyle's lips and the cutest round belly you've ever seen! We also spent a lot of time wrapping up her nursery last week. I am so happy with how it has turned out and will take some pictures soon. It is simple, girly and oh so sweet.

Not the greatest picture since I took it in our bathroom with my iphone, but here I am in all my full term glory!