Being Pregnant and Going to a Concert, Vegas and a Magic Show - Month 7

27 weeks

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

My family in Vegas (at Bellagio)

Who would have thought I'd being having so much fun at seven months pregnant? Not me!! I thought I'd be miserable and unable to move. So far, this had been pretty fun besides the feeling tired part (but I really don't mind getting sleep - it feels good). Oh, and I don't like the pants getting tighter! Hate that.

Brad singing Then! Felt like our first dance all over again!

So I barely go to concerts when I'm not pregnant but I won tickets to see Brad Paisley in concert at the Xcel Energy Center via Twitter. All I had to do was tweet my favorite Brad Paisley song. Of course it's Then, since it's our first dance. And low and behold, I had won us a pair of tickets. Score!

Off to the show Karl and I went. Scotty McCreery was first and The Band Perry was next. Karl and I didn't show until 9:00 p.m. considering we were leaving for Vegas to celebrate my younger brother's 30th birthday the next day at 6 a.m. We had a very early morning ahead of us and were already tuckered out so we didn't want to be out for too long. Lucky for us both Scotty and The Band Perry played with Brad during his show, so we were able to see all of them perform too. Yay! The concert was great and not too loud. I was worried I'd blow Baby Koester's ears out. He/she was pretty chill during the entire show.

Side note: I will say I do know why Taylor Swift was Entertainer of the Year though. Her show blows Brad out of the water. Okay, so maybe I do go to more concerts than I thought... 

We stayed until 10:30. We knew we'd be getting up at 4:30 a.m. but were a bit excited to meet my family in Vegas. We maybe got four hours of sleep. And anyone who is pregnant knows you NEED more than four hours of sleep to function. I tried to pretend I wasn't tired and I will say the only way to travel is with my older brother Mike. We always get the best seats on the plane, covered parking at the Park N Fly, Sky Club access... Jeesh. Let's just say it was nice.

Even though it wasn't 60 out, we still hit up the pool for Vitamin D!

Vegas was fun but I will be honest. It was hard being pregnant. I wanted to drink. I wanted to stay up late and gamble with everyone. I wanted to do more. But I was exhausted most of the time, and all that smoke in the Casinos is nasty. I was scared the baby would be breathing it all in. So I'd climb into our wonderful fluffy King Size bed and grab a book. I finished Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs - totally LOVED it. She even tweeted me back in response after I told her how I thought her book rocked! And I finished another one of my other baby books. More to come on those in another blog post.

Yeah, Jenny McCarthy and I go back to MTV's Singled Out! Ha!

Not going to lie, I had my moments where I'd freak out while in Vegas - the selfish Christie would start to come out. I wondered a lot how life would change once Baby K was born. Would I get to do any of the fun stuff again? Would Karl be the one getting to experience all the fun while I took care of baby and kept my body healthy for baby? But then the more I thought of it, I realized I was the one who woke up refreshed (not hungover or tired) and I was still able to have fun and remember things. And with baby we'll have new different kinds of fun adventures.

But it's still scary because it's the land of the unknown. I don't know how things are going to change. I can worry myself about them, but I think like everything else in life everything will turn out just fine. I don't know if we'll be able to travel like we have been. More signs point to no, but I'm constantly reminding myself to take one day at a time. Nobody can predict the future. Things change all the time! And my life so far has been quite the ride. Why stop now?

My brothers and Karl (and dad) playing Craps for four hours!!!

All in all, we had fun. And I mean lots of fun. Karl has been to Vegas five times and he said this was by far his favorite out of all the times he went and that makes me super happy. I love how he's able to fit right in.

This time we stayed at Mandalay Bay

We stayed at Mandalay Bay (ate brunch there three times...shhhh), hung out by the pool, won $209 at Wheel of Fortune (what up Vanna!!), saw the fountains at Bellagio, walked all the way to Battista's Hole in the Wall Italian Restaurant starting from Mandalay Bay (that's behind the Flamingo....holy stairs), took the Deuce to Fremont Street and also saw Criss Angel in action.

Places we ate in Vegas:
The Bayside Buffet at Mandalay Bay
Red, White and Blue at Mandalay Bay
Ri Ru Irish Pub at Mandalay Bay
Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay (this was really good!)
Battisa's Hole in the Wall

Karl, Kid Rock, my brother Mark and TuPac...he lives!

And with all that commotion and travel and noise, Baby Koester seemed to survive! Criss Angel was probably the loudest out of all the places I've been these past seven months and there was no crazy kicking or anything in response!

But I do think he/she was wondering what was going on today as I sat at work because there's been lots of kicking. Probably wants me to move some more or something. Or else he/she is missing all the bells and whistles of those slot machines. Ha!

Up next: Why am I freaking myself out so much? And the results of our two-hour Car Seat Safety Class. Good baby books.

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Orange-Beef Stir Fry

Wok and Roll

Orange-Beef Stir Fry
serves 5
recipe found in Fitness Magazine, January 2012

Lots of flavor in this dish!

1/2 lb top round steak

1/2 cup beef broth

2 T soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

2 T lime juice

1 T sesame oil

1 T minced garlic

1 T minced fresh ginger

1 T cornstarch

Nonstick cooking spray

1 T canola oil

3 small bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 small Vidalia or red onion

1 cup broccoli florets

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Place steak in freezer until firm but not frozen, about 20 mins. Cut against grain into thin slices.

2. In a large cowl, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, orange juice concentrate, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir in cornstarch until no lumps remain. Set aside.

3. Coat a wok or large skillet with cooking spray. Add oil and warm over medium heat. Add peppers, onion and broccoli; cook and stir 4-5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Increase heat to high and add steak. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes, until meat begins to brown.

4. Reduce heat to low and add broth mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes more, until sauce thickens and steak is no longer pink.

5. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Karl's reaction: "Wow. I like this a lot. Lots of good flavor in here. Real good job babe."

My take: I think this is awesome. I usually suck at making Chinese and this tasted really great! Loved the fresh veggies. I piled them on to make more food.

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Orange-Dijon Salmon with Almond-and-Herb Couscous

Get those Omega-3s

Orange-Dijon Salmon with Almond-and-Herb Couscous
serves 4
recipe found in Fitness Magazine, January 2012

Refreshing salmon recipe!

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard

1 tablespoon orange marmalade

1 1/4 pounds salmon, cut into four equal portions

3/4 cup couscous

2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

1 cup fresh chives, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard and orange marmalade. Place the salmon, skin side down, in a baking dish and spread the mustard-marmalade mixture evenly over the top of each piece; cook 12 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; remove from heat. Stir in the couscous, cover and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and mix in the almonds, chives, parsley, mint, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and black pepper. Serve topped with salmon.

Karl's reaction - "I like this babe. It has a good taste to it. Good hearty portion."

My take - I liked this. It was easy to make and tasted great. I like making salmon different ways so this was cool!

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Toasted Angel Hair with Sausage and Peppers

A Pampered Chef Recipe

Toasted Angel Hair with Sausage and Peppers
serves 4
recipe found in 29 Minutes to Dinner - From Everyday to Gourmet (The Pampered Chef)

Karl says this dish is in his top three

1 lb bulk hot Italian sausage
2 medium red bell peppers
1 lb uncooked angel hair pasta
3 garlic cloves, pressed
5 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup fresh basil, divided
1 oz Parmesan cheese

1. Place sausage into (12-in) skillet. Cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.

2. As sausage cooks, slice off tops and bottoms of bell peppers, remove and discard seeds and stems. Finely chop tops and bottoms. Remove and discard seeds and ribs from sides of peppers, slice into thin julienne strips.

3. Add pasta to skillet and toast 8-10 minutes, stirring after each 2-minute interval. Press garlic over pasta and add broth, all of the peppers and cooked sausage. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer vigorously 5-6 minutes or until pasta is tender.

4. As pasta simmers, chop basil, reserving half for garnish. When pasta is tender, remove from heat and stir in remaining basil.

5. To serve, divide pasta mixture among serving bowls, grate cheese over pasta. Garnish with reserved basil.

Karl's reaction: "Just taking one bite I already know I'm going to love this. Okay, this is officially my top three favorite meals you've ever made. Delectable."

My take: This was rather good. I never toasted noodles like that, but it gives it a real nice flavor! Very tasty!

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Baby Shower Number One - Month 7

Feeling rather lucky these days

26 weeks

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take two to three days. (www.babycenter.com)

Hometown - Roscoe, Illinois
Karl and I drove to Roscoe this past Friday night for Baby Koester's shower. We were so thankful both of our jobs let us leave early from work so we didn't have to roll in after 11 p.m. It's hard for me to stay up past 9:30. Plus, that five-hour drive is killer. But I always love going home. I seriously have the best parents ever. Karl and I were kicking each other that we didn't take Monday off so we could stay longer.

Roscoe Baby Shower Invites made by Grandma Cindy and me!

We wanted to send out invites that looked like the nursery! Can't forget the super cute envelopes either.

These invites were from Target

Saturday, we all woke up early to get everything ready for the shower. We headed over to Hilander to get the super cute cake.

Cake was super delicious - chocolate and vanilla with raspberry filling

I'm not a cake person, but this was good!

Then we headed over to Jessica's Restaurant to set up the room. There aren't too many restaurants in Roscoe. Jessica's is a place my mom, brothers and I always went to for breakfast with the neighbor ladies during the summer. (Swedish pancakes with loganberries...ummm, yes please!).

The weather was actually 40-some degrees (and in January!)

We had all the guests fill out a calendar of when they think Baby Koester will arrive into this lovely world. The one who guesses the date and sex, will get a special gift in the mail! Do you have any guesses? For some reason everyone stuck with April. No March dates or May.... (thank goodness!)

We're going to hang the calendar in the nursery!

When will Baby Koester be born? Hmmm... April 16 is the due date!

Karl was so sweet and stayed the entire time! Three full hours. What a trooper. He learned lots about breast feeding and labor, blowouts, and all sorts of cool stuff. But, he was pretty excited about his new book, Dude, You're Gonna Be A Dad! He especially liked the sperm on the front cover. Not sure why he looks a bit toasty in this picture - I promise there was no alcohol!

Karl's excited to dive right into his new book!

I wasn't the only one pregnant at my shower either! There were three others who have babies on the way. Rachel (far left) is Karl's step cousin and due with her third in early March. She-Dawg is due February 17 with baby Catelyn. I'm due April 16, and Allison is due with her son Drew in early May!! Everyone was glowing and looking amazing!

All the pregnant ladies!

There was one little show stopper. Little Miss Brighton McGrath. I mean...how can you not love her hair and those beautiful eyes!? She's so precious, like her mom, Jaymie!!!

Little Brighton McGrath being held by Mrs. Denbow

Speaking of moms...mine did one heck of a job putting the entire shower together, with the help of my dad of course and her pal Cathy down the street! I need to think of something I can do to say thanks in return. (Knowing my mom, she'll probably say..."move back to Roscoe!")

Me and my mom. She's the BEST ever!!!!!!

We started off getting beads and anyone who said "cute" had their beads stolen from them! Whoever had the most beads won a prize. Then we had these really cute animal name card holders. Whoever had a star at the bottom of theirs won a prize! I don't know why I didn't get a picture of them.

Shower room at Jessica's

All my second moms and grandmas growing up! And my real mom!

My family - aunts, cousin and best friends!!!!

The girls of Whitewater and more!! I have the bestest friends!!!

Best group of girls EVER!!!!!! Laura, Bright, Jaymie and me! Friends for life!

Then we ordered off a menu my mom picked out and put together. Soon we were opening gifts and the guests were playing Baby Shower Bingo.

Bingo!

Woweee! Feeling the love and also feeling rather spoiled. We'd asked everyone to bring their favorite children's book for Baby Koester, to build the library. Boy...did we get a lot of awesome books. Jeesh! Karl and I love to have our own library hour before we go to bed, and we're hoping Baby K will carry on the tradition...maybe not until a little later though.  My favorite thing as a child was having story hour. I loved love loved when my mom read to us.

We also received a lot of beautiful handmade items. Man, people are talented. Where do they learn this stuff? My gpa and gma couldn't make it since they got the stomach flu (booo!!!), but my grandpa wanted to make sure I got these booties "he" worked feverishly on. You see, my grandpa doesn't knit...so you know where I'm getting at. Anyway, my grandma did SUCH a cute job!

Great Grandma's little booties in Green Bay Packer colors... Not sure about that being a Bears fan!

A sweet little giraffe made by Sally Miller - a friend of my parents

All in all the shower was a success. I feel so stinken lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. It's the best feeling knowing I have a ton of great people I can lean on - people who will be honest with me and will make me feel good about myself no matter what I'm doing, right or wrong!

So excited to see my friend Heather! I hadn't seen her since her wedding 5+ years ago!

Sunday morning Karl and my dad packed up our car to the brim with all the gifts before we all went on a walk together. Karl was so sweet and unpacked the car when we got home and moved everything upstairs to the nursery.

And this is just shower #1!! Where is all this stuff going to go??

I don't know if it's the amazing (but strange) warm weather for January, the sun shining, feeling more and more like myself or the life growing inside me, but I just feel happy. And I want this feeling to stay forever!!!! Life is so good right now.

Thank you all who celebrated with us this past weekend and those who have offered up so much support and encouragement. I need it and love it! Thank you!

My calendar saying for today: Friends warm you with their presence, trust you with their secrets, and remember you in their prayers.

Coming next: Attending a Brad Paisley Concert and Celebrating in Vegas...7 months pregnant.


            

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Signing up for Pregnancy Classes - Entering Month 7

week 25

I do not like last minute stuff. I can handle change - in fact I welcome it - but I don't like when things are all of a sudden sprung on me that are totally within my control. OK, I can deal, but I just like when I manage the things I can control. Does this make any sense?

Yesterday I spent a chunk of the day looking into all the parenting classes our hospital offers. I heard these classes fill up quickly and I knew I had to get us signed up sooner than later. So, I signed us up for four. Yeah...four.

What can I say? I love learning and I figure it'll be good for us to take as many classes as we can since we really don't have any childcare experience whatsoever. I mean, I read a whole chapter on diaper changing the other morning and was totally blown away by all the different techniques. I have so much to learn!

Tons of Parenting Classes to pick from at St. Francis

Our first class (in the next couple weeks) is a two-hour class on a Saturday morning on Car Seat Safety. This, I must pay attention to. I guess the hospital won't let parents leave unless they have a car seat installed properly in their car and have taken some kind of educational class on safety. I just want to make sure I know how to snap the seat in and out without freaking baby out or hitting his/her head. Seems like a lot of work to me!

The next class (for me) is also at the end of this month. I'm taking a three-hour class on a Friday night on breastfeeding. I figure Karl will be ice fishing, I might as well learn about the bonding that will go on between me and baby. I'm now well into my second book on how to breastfeed, but I'm such a visual learner. I need to see this stuff in action. So I'm hoping this class is a good one.

Next, this was a bit of a struggle with Karl being back in school, I wanted to take the 4-week series of Child Preparation, but it was only offered on Wednesday nights. Well, Karl has his teleconferences for school every Wednesday night. That was out. The one class offered on Tuesday nights was completely full, and the other Tuesday night class wasn't offered until April. Ummmmm....that's cutting it a bit close. So I opted to sign us up for the weekend crash course instead in early March, and also signed us up for a labor and breathing class the Thursday before, which was recommended if you could only fit in the crash course. Three hours of labor and breathing, three hours of preparing us for parenting and then a whole day on Saturday dedicated to learning all about what we're about to become. Phew!

Weirdly, I'm kind of excited about these classes. I'm pumped to meet the other parents in the classes. I'm looking forward to building connections with teachers and nurses just so I know I can reach out to someone who knows what it's like or at least has a whole lot of experience. It's harder to do that when you don't know the person you're talking to.

Doctor Appointment Updates
Karl and I have our next check up on Thursday at St. Francis. I think after this one, I'll be entering my third trimester and will start going every other week from now on until that last month. Zoiks!

People ask me what goes down at these appointments. Basically, I walk in, set my purse and coat down. Get weighed and my blood pressure is taken. Everyone is shocked that it's always under 90 and I'm still able to walk. Ha. Then the nurse asks...

Nurse: "Are you still taking your prenatal vitamins?"
Me: "Yes."
Nurse: "You using Differin for your skin?"
Me: "When I get a zit."
Nurse: "Doctor will be right in."

Then our awesome doctor comes in and asks me how things are. He checks into my weight and blood pressure. I usually have a list of questions...

Me: "I really can't have lunch meat?" (Kind of craving Jimmy John's these days...but just go with Subway and get their sandwiches toasted to be safe.)
Doc: "You can pretty much eat anything...just be mindful. If it's been sitting out for awhile or it's two weeks old, probably not. Just be careful about raw seafood." (I decided not to risk it and haven't had sushi since August. And have also been reading a ton about how horrible diet soda is for mom and baby...very thankful I don't drink that crap.)
Me: "I'm getting leg cramps, can I take Cal-Mag like I did last summer when I'd get cramps bad playing sand volleyball?"
Doc: "Sure, but I'm not sure that's going to help."
Me: "Can I still do heart pumping workouts and play volleyball?"
Doc: "You can do anything and everything you've been doing before. In fact I encourage it. I think it's awesome you're still so active."
Me: "Do I really have to get the flu shot?"
Doc: "Yes."
Me: "Am I growing at a rapid speed? I feel so chubby."
Doc: "YOU ARE PREGNANT. You are doing great. Enjoy it."

So yeah...nothing too crazy there. And then I lay on the table and lift of my shirt to expose my belly and we listen to the heartbeat. It's beyond awesome. Then we set up the next appointment.

Cool Baby Gifts Over The Holidays
So Baby Koester totally got spoiled by the Koesters. We had Christmas at my in-law's house on New Year's Day. My sister-in-law, Kelly, totally went nuts with awesome gifts. And Karl's parents gave us a card saying they would like to pay for a 3-D ultrasound of Baby K!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Saawweet!

We get to get a 3D Ultrasound of Baby K!!!!!

Body Changes
Not too many crazy things going on in this department.

• I think I see a faint Linea Nigra forming along my belly and Karl was "ohhing" and "ahhing" over my super tiny "inny" belly button getting read to pop. Any day now...

• I notice my nose seems to be stuffier. I have to blow it every morning.

• My hair seems like it grew really long and is a little thicker. I wish that would stay!

• I notice I drool a lot more. Of course my husband is just delicious, but seriously...I wake up with drool marks along my lips and cheeks. What on earth....

• When I eat chocolate, baby jumps around a lot. I had a few sips of champagne to toast the New Year and baby was jumping and jiving, so I stopped, feeling incredibly guilty! 

Coming....
Roscoe baby shower!! Of course I'll be taking lots of pictures and can't wait to blog about it.

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African-Themed Baby Nursery - Entering Month 7

Week 25

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture. (babycenter.com)

The Walls Painted in the Nursery - Step One

We all made it through the stomach flu and were able to put the finishing touches on the baby's nursery! My dad kicked off the painting - then was hit with the flu - but somehow managed to get through a lot more than we ever expected. Such a trooper! My dad is awesome.

Grandpa Gary painting the sky, clouds, rolling hills and tree

Then my younger brother Mark came up for Christmas and outlined a bunch of animals for us to fill in and paint. I'm mad I didn't get any photos of him in action since he's such a good artist. (Sorry, we had to erase your angry birds and the picture of Snoopy peeing, Mark...)

Karl (i.e. Dad) painting all the intricate details on his favorite zebra

Karl and I spent the New Year's weekend painting lots of crazy animals and we can finally say the walls are completed! Thanks to my parents, who suggested and bought sticker decals, we used a majority of those as well! And as you can see...there are a variety of animals throughout the room. But I tried (and I mean tried) to refrain myself from making things too busy.

The African jungle on two of the walls in baby's nursery

We tried to make a non-gender specific room as we could. Not too feminine and not too masculine either. I wanted a giraffe in the corner of the room where eventually we can make into a height measuring device. We figure baby won't be hitting three to four feet anytime soon and we will paint this in when our toddler knows what's going on. I always remember how cool I felt when mom and dad would measure me and I started growing taller than my older brother!

Our friendly giraffe (Mark didn't draw this one)

I'm wondering if I should add an elephant somewhere...like a mama and baby marching up the hill? Hmmm. But for now, I'm so loving this room. How can you not be happy when you walk in?

Coolest animals ever! I might have to add some flowers later...and more leaves

Peek a Boo!

Love these little guys around the closet!

Our next step is to get the guest bed out of the room and move the furniture around into the right spots. Right now everything is kind of piled on top of each other. But we're LOVING this room!!

We're so lucky we had some helpers! Thank you!!!!

More to come when more furniture and stuff starts coming in! There will be a completed nursery picture at some point!

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