Merry Christmas at 26 weeks

Merry Christmas! This time next year we will be opening gifts with a little one! This marked our last Christmas as a two person family, we will be a crowd of three in a couple of months. We are excited for the year ahead.

Jacks tried to EAT his Christmas present.

I wonder what someone is getting.

BK has been like a 5 year old with his Playstation 3. I don't think he has stopped playing it in the past 3 days.

Cute tee!

A New Christmas Tradition

This is our second Christmas in West Chester so we decided to start a new, local Christmas tradition. We live only 20 minutes from Longwood Gardens, a beautiful botanical garden and arboretum, http://www.longwoodgardens.org/. Longwood Gardens goes all out for Christmas so we decided to check it out. It was well worth walking around in the cold weather!! It was so beautiful and extremely Christmas-y. It really put both of us in the holiday mood. I highly recommend if you are ever around the Brandywine or Philadelphia area to definitely check out Longwood Gardens. This was also the last appearance of my non-pregnancy winter coat, the buttons were barely holding on.

Check out all our beautiful pics at: http://hilarykendro.shutterfly.com/

25 Weeks….and Snowing

At my 25 week mark, the northeast was blanketed in 2 feet of snow. The snowfall was so beautiful; it really made it feel like the holiday season. Unfortunately, the melting of snow is gross and messy, not a pretty holiday sight. Being snowed in and forced to relax was a welcomed change. I have not been feeling the best so it was good to have some R&R, even though that R&R included watching a mind numbing episode of Jersey Shore.

Our backyard

Sunday morning, after the snowing had stopped

Bryan in our parking lot, look how high the snow is!

Ohio Baby Shower

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was my first Baby Shower!! It was thrown by my wonderful Aunts Kathy & Kris. This party could have given Martha Stewart a run for her money. The theme was ‘duckies’ and everything, I mean EVERYTHING, was decked out with duckies. Even the cupcake liners followed the theme. The shower was not only gorgeous but so much fun. I have only been to one baby shower in my life so I did not know what to expect. We played 2 fun (but not hookie) baby games. We ate a lot and opened presents. Who knew there was so much out there for babies!!! I learned so much at my shower. Getting advice from veteran Mommies is the way to go!! Way better than a registry checklist. We got so much loot that the SUV was packed to the brim for our 10 hour drive home. The funny thing is we thought we got a ton of stuff…until we realized that is was just a scratch on the surface of all the baby gear needed. Glad the baby will be little because our place is going to be PACKED; of course coordinately packed.

Being Dressy for the Event

The Spread

Best Cup Cakes EVER

Cuteness

My neice with her doll. Note the matching outfits.

Learning about what kind of kid stuff is out there

Roseanne

So I have discovered that Roseanne is on at least one channel all hours of the night. Maybe this is only a secret pregnant women or insomniacs know but it is a fact none the less. I have a feeling our child might be named DJ just because that name has been engraved in my brain from 3:30 a.m. until 5:00 a.m. every night. Baby K is already a night time kid…at least he has me on his schedule.

21 Weeks

I apologize it has taken so long to put up a new belly picture! I will have to blame my delay on work. For some reason all deadlines fall on the same day, right before a holiday. Ugh!! Nothing like working the morning of Thanksgiving

Today I am 23 weeks (even thought the below pictures are at 21 weeks)! And I can no longer fit into a majority of my sweatpants or pj pants. Not sure if this is because of pregnancy or Thanksgiving food :)

It's A....

BOY!
Bryan and I found out today that we are having a little boy. Apparently our little baby boy is not shy about flashing the goods. According to the ultrasound tech our baby is very active, cooperative, and has long legs. We saw the legs, feet, arms, head, brain, stomach, bladder, spine, ears, nose, and eyes. We were extremely excited about seeing our little man in action. We can't wait to meet him!! We also made sure to get a picture that will be used to embarrass him one day. We like to think ahead.

As a result of the ultrasound, my due date has been pushed up to March 29, 2010. I am actually 21 weeks instead of just 20 weeks. The baby is already 1 pound!!

I now live in a house dominated by men (Bryan, Jacks, Baby K and even Murray our fish). I am preparing for a life filled with toilet seats left up.

Side Note: The baby's name will be a surprise. We want at least one thing to be a surprise!!

Future Phillies Fan

I have read that in the weeks to come I will start to feel the baby kick more and more. They were right! I have felt more and more and MORE movement from the baby; especially during the World Series Playoffs between the Phillies and Yankees. Now this may be because most of the games were at night when I was lying on the couch or in bed. It could also be because the baby is starting to hear sounds and Daddy is not a quiet fan. I am sure the clapping and yelling kept baby awake and alert (along with Mommy and the Kitty).

Well, in this household logic is no always the rule! We think that our little baby is a diehard Phillies fan who has already developed distaste for those awful Yankees. Our baby was kicking for Utley to hit another one out of the park! Too bad Chase didn’t hear the baby and the Phillies lost. Our payback to you Yankees fans is having an insanely awesome kid who will forever despise you. Jealous?!?!?

BEFORE Game 6, when we were excited and happy.

As you can tell Baby Bump Kendro will no longer fit in my Phillies jersey.

Jacks dressed up in his ralley towel. His always looks so happy when I dress him up.

How Jacks fell asleep that night

Surprise! Pregnant!

Sorry for the LOOOONNNGG hiatus but I am back with some big news: We are pregnant (well, I am)! We found out August 5th that I was 5-6 weeks pregnant. I actually found out at my first informational visit with the fertility doctor. Who knew I would be pregnant while walking into the fertility doctor. Needless to say that was my last visit :)

I am currently 18 weeks pregnant (as of Sunday November 1st). We couldn't be happier!!! So far this is the rundown of answers to commonly asked questions:

Due Date: April 6, 2010

Morning Sickness: Yes, but not as bad as other friends. Just nausea

Cravings: Mac & Cheese, fruit

Issues: BAD migraine headaches & not-so-great skin

Finding out the sex: Yes, we have our first ultrasound on November 18th so fingers crossed we will be able to tell!!

Nursery Décor: Peter Rabbit theme with sage green and brown

Below are pictures of my progress

17 Weeks

In 2 weeks I all of a sudden got a baby bump! There is no hidding this belly anymore.

14 Weeks

Second Trimester here I come!! I am getting a baby belly!! I think I still look like I just ate too much at a buffet. :)

10 Weeks

Can you tell I felt like hell?!?!?! First Trimester was ROUGH (as you can tell by my picture)



Can you tell I am holding in my breath (aka not trying to toss my cookies) during the photos?

6 Weeks

This the (non)baby belly at 7 weeks, the week after we found out!


Bryan calls the picture above my 'glamour shots' look.

Ok, ok, ok I have been lectured a couple of about not updating my blog in 2 months. I have been traveling way more than a person should. Excuses, excuses, right? Oh well.

In the past couple of months I have traveled to Houston, Corpus Christi, Jersey, Raleigh, and many meetings in Philly. I have been stuck in two airports (one overnight!), eaten way too much fast food, read four books on trains and planes, and have consequently racked up some serious and much deserved hotel points. I have also learned that a Whole Foods (although expensive) is a travelers BFF, good for you food that travels well. Yuppie NeoHippies rejoice. Side comment: why is it that the people who shop at natural food stories are pretty negative, unfriendly, and rushed? I thought the idea behind eating healthy, organic, and animal friendly is to lead a happier, somewhat more fulfilled life focused on inner health and positively contributing to your community and environment. Maybe I missed something. I find people in donut stores a lot nicer, i.e. donuts make people happier than organic soy yogurt. I am going to the donut store J Hold on tight organs!! Sugar overload is on its way!!

Some of my fav things this/these month/s
Whataburger Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit: This is HEAVEN, literally heaven. I am sad that Whataburgers are only limited to Texas, however, I think my pants are glad they are only limited to Texas. I had my first biscuit almost 3 years ago and still have dreams about them. While in Corpus I had one everyday (one day I had TWO!). I can’t even describe the yummy-ness.

MAC SPF 15 Liquid Foundation: Thank goodness for MAC. Between traveling and meetings ALL in the hot, hot, HOT summer I have turned into a full fledge grease ball. This is only thing that makes me look somewhat presentable. Somewhat is the key word in this sentence. Now if it could only erase black circles from staying in a hotel RIGHT NEXT to a railroad (unfortunate true story).

This blog is quick and to the point but there will more to come, promise.

Someone reads my Blog...True Story

Ok, so I actually got a request to keep doing my favorite things of the month. Someone reads this blog!! Oh hallelujah, sweet baby Jesus!! “I like to think of my Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt”….sorry getting off topic with movie quotes.

Even though it is the first of JUNE this is stuff that I loved, loved, loved in May. Now that it is June the love is a little faded….

Halo Pet Food: Now, I LOVE Ellen DeGeneres, like LOVE her! And if she were to tell me to do something I would totally, blindly do it. She is my Oprah, yoda, ghandi. SO, when I heard she was the prime investor in an all natural pet food line AND it was being sold on QVC (the devil’s channel as my husband calls it) I was in!!! I actually stayed home on a Saturday from 3-4 p.m. to watch Ellen hock pet food on QVC, and of course I bought the cat some new yummy, natural food. WELL, it is now the cat’s crack. I have never seen an animal eat food so fast. Our little man has to take blood pressure pills daily which he REFUSES to take. We tried 15 different ways to give him his pills but the smart little bugger figured it out each time and refused to take them. Now we put the pills in his Halo food and he snarfs it down!! I don’t even think he comes up for air. It is really a weird thing to see. This food is healthy, like crack for your animals, and available on the best network on the planet (also at Pet Smart)….what more could you ask for? http://www.halopets.com/

Lush’s “Too Drunk…Emotibomb”: This thing is something that you throw into your shower and it slowly dissolves on the tub floor engulfing the shower in a deliriously wondrous smell. It is so insanely fantastic words cannot even describe the smell. It is supposed to be for peeps who are hung over but I use it when I have crazy, mind numbing migraines. I swear on the kitty’s life that this is better than any Advil you can take. I have NO idea how or why it works but it freaking works. I am already out of the ones I got online and am making a pilgrimage to the Orlando airport to put them out of stock. I swear this is the best thing you can buy yourself if you get headaches or have recently discovered that you can no longer drink like you could when you were 22 (stupid old age!). Another awesome thing for headaches and hang overs is Aveda’s Rosemary Mint lotion. I live for this lotion when the pollen is so bad I can’t breathe. I swear it opens my nasal passages while keeping my skin glowingly moisturized. Again, no idea how or why it works.

Army Wives: So technically this is a “June” thing since the season premier is on Sunday June 7th but….I am THAT excited that I just can’t wait another month to write about it. Yes, it is on Lifetime and yes, it is very unrealistic but the drama is incredible and SOOO captivating. This show is a ‘two tissue’ show; I have never been able to watch an episode without crying silently in the corner of our living room with Bryan rolling his eyes saying something about the stupidity of women. However, that man still sits there and watches it….secretly loving every second of it (and itching from the female hormones he is absorbing from Lifetimes’ estrogen emitting rays).

Something I did NOT love this month: Babycakes Bakery in NYC. Martha constantly has these people on her show where they talk about their amazing gluten-free, vegan baked goods and how people can’t even tell that they are “good for you”. Well guess what, THIS lady could tell. I was extremely excited to get cupcakes from this place, like to the point where I would have hog tied Bryan to a New York street sign just to get him out of the way so I could hunt down this bakery in the Lower East Side. Unfortunately no hog tying occurred and he willing went with me to the bakery where I got two cupcakes: Red Velvet and Vanilla. I wanted to savior every bite so I decided to take them on the New Jersey transit towards our house. Well, since Manhattan was 900 degrees that day the cupcakes melted all over my Stephanie Meyer’s ‘The Host’ book and all over my gorgeous Longchamp bag. But, whateves, I could still enjoy eating these wonderful, be it melted, cupcakes. I was so excited to take my first bite then BAM…like a slap in the face, they SUCKED. I mean SUCKED. They sucked so bad I threw them out. Shame on you Martha for misleading the public to think these horse turd cupcakes where good. Shame!!

I FINISHED!!!

I finished!!!

I finished my half marathon!!! 13.1 Miles!!! I FINISHED!!!

Oh what a journey this has been! When I first took on this voyage (I say voyage because there were a TON of ups and downs), I did not think I would complete it successfully. As long as I made it over the finish line breathing I was a happy camper. I figured I would have to walk a little then run a little but come race day I ran the WHOLE THING!!!! I just kept putting one foot in front of another and ran the whole 13.1 miles, RUNNING THE WHOLE WAY!!!

Before the Race...before the rain and pain, haha

There is no way to explain the awesomeness of running in a half or full marathon. There are people all along the running route yelling and cheering for you. People are on their porches playing music, holding signs, and yelling encouragement. There are little kids standing along the route saying “good job” and “way to go” while banging on toy drums. It was one the most touching, awe-inspiring things I have ever seen. And since you have your name on the front of your jersey people yell out “Way to go HILARY”, which just makes you push yourself harder, it makes you remember why you are running, and gives you a sense of community that is sometimes lacking in current society.

Running so fast I am a BLUR on film :)

The other wonderful thing about the race was seeing how supportive and wonderful my husband was (IS!). I was brought to tears a couple of times that race weekend, some tears were from nerves, some were from fright, but most were from the realization of how much my husband really loved and SUPPORTED me. When I doubted myself he was right there to push my through, to be my cheerleader, to instill in me the belief and courage I lost but he still saw. I got to see him 3 times on the race route. Seeing my husband cheer me on, while my body wanted to give up, was and still is one of the most wonderful moments in my life. I gave him a high five right before I crossed the finish line. He had been standing in the rain for over 45 minutes so he could be the first person I saw when I saw the finish line. This made me fall in love with him all over again. Words cannot describe how much I love my husband and how proud I am of HIM for being my rock.

After the race came the painful part….the walking part. After the race I thought my knee was broken and that my legs forgot how to function. I also got a black toe (which I think is pretty hardcore!). It took me about 2-3 days to be able to walk without feeling like Tonya Harding got to me (oh poor Nancy Kerrigan). An outing to the grocery store the day after the race proved to be a painful experience for me but a hilarious experience for my hubby and all those who were witness to my shuffling feet and inability to pick up a bag of chips on the low shelf.

All in all, this is something I will definitely do again, but not in the near future. I am now enjoying my time sitting on my butt while watching Idol. Now I just have to figure out what my next endeavor will be…. There is no rest for the wicked (well, the foul mouth wicked I mean).

AND a HUGE shout out to all of those who supported me for this race, both finically, physically, and emotionally!!! It means so much to me, I feel like a simple “thanks” doesn’t express my gratitude so “thanks a lot” (that’s more expressive, right?)

I Heart Heather

I have introduced another to my internet addiction, dooce.com. You’re welcome Bonnie. One of my co-workers introduced me to the website over 2 years ago and I have been reading it ever since. Almost every day I read the blog’s witty comments and view the hilarious pictures. The blog is especially important when I have had a horrible day and stabbings may be handed out at work or home.

For those of you who don’t want to read my details below, Cliffs Note Version: Meeting Heather was well worth the wait.

Heather Armstrong is the author of the blog (dooce.com) and has transformed every day mundane activities into comical quips. She has written two books. I had the pleasure of being in Austin, Texas the week she was doing a book signing for her second book. I was on a work trip so skipping out on dinner for a ‘book signing' has made me the ultimate nerd of my industry (which is all engineers so just guess how hard that hit my ego, nerdy-er than engineers!! WHAT!). After making my way to the bookstore I waited in a gigantic crowd of people to catch a glimpse and shake the hand of Mrs. Heather B. Armstrong! Waiting to meet H-Dub (I decided that we are now besties and have given her a nickname) allowed me to see that Austin is officially the nicest city in America. Everyone was so super happy; I even met two very nice girls while waiting in line and they actually offered to drop me off at my hotel so I didn’t have to take a cab! I didn’t take the ride noting my mother’s old advice “don’t take rides from strangers” and after watching multiple “To Catch a Predator” repeats (thank you very much, Ang) I think even normal looking people are secretly chainsaw murders.

SO, onto me meeting one of my idols….After waiting in the bookstore for almost 2 hours (literally) I finally got to shake hands and talk to Heather. She is absolutely wonderful in person. I have never seen such a tall, thin woman with such a huge baby bump. AND the fact that she used curse words multiple times in the children’s section of a book store while reading experts from her book and answering questions makes her utterly wonderful. Not that kids should ever hear the “f” word but the irony of a potty mouth mother-to-be using profanity in a kid’s book section just emphasis her satirical and sarcastic nature. I did get a picture with her (see above) and have a beautifully signed copy of “It Sucked and Then I Cried”, the book chronically her first pregnancy. However, I was so nervous to meet her when she asked what I did for a living I said “I make maps, but not the treasure kind”. Oh my poor ego.

Another insanely great website that has me LOL-ing to the cat: http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/

Vacation: being free from a duty, service, etc.

Every year my husband and I save xyz amount of money for our annual vacation. There are only two prerequisites: 1. It has to be a place we have never been and 2. It has to be FUN (yes, all caps type of fun). This year we were invited to the wedding of two college friends out in sunny southern California. We thought, why not make this our vacation…the rest is history. After adding up frequent flyer miles, Hilton points, and all the people we know in California, we needed no more convincing. We headed to the left coast.

Our schedule was insane!! Sleep and relaxation did NOT occur on this vacation. We spent one day in San Francisco and saw everything in the city, literally EVERYthing all on foot (including some possible meth addicts in a park that was heavily hazy due to the strong smell of ‘medical’ Mary Jane). I double dog dare anyone to name something we didn’t do. After a day romping around SanFran, we drove down the scenic Pacific Coast Highway toward LA. The car trip was insanely beautiful, the type of pure organic beauty that can’t be described in words. After arriving in LA we spent one day with my BFF Megs and had a great meal in Venice (CA that is). I know LA is known for anorexia but I have no idea how people can be so skinny in that city because it honestly has the best food anywhere on the freaking planet. Seriously, I have had insanely excellent food abroad and I have had plenty of great, grand, wonderful food stateside but nothing compares to the freshness and creativity of LA food. BK (the hubby) and I did a quick tour of LA (well “quick” in terms of LA traffic). Del Mar was the wedding location. Saturday was the big day and we cannot say enough great things about this wedding. Not only was it beautiful but it was romantic and fun. Sunday morning (slightly hung over) we headed towards San Diego. SD is one of my favorite places on earth, and I was so excited that BK was finally going to get to see SD is person in all its fab glory. Well….as luck would have it we arrived on the ONLY freaking cloudy day of the year. Hey, it didn’t rain our whole entire trip so I should probably hold my bitter tongue but still, come on Mother Nature. Great food, great friends, great scenery, and crazy experiences made up our 2009 annual va-ca. Now, we are planning for next year, no sleep for the adventurous. Suggestions????

All of our pictures are housed here: http://hilarykendro.shutterfly.com/
Please, definitely take a minute to look through them. Every day I am more and more impressed by the hubs photographic ability. I am looking into selling them on etsy (http://www.etsy.com/). So pick your fav and I will make it available.

Things I love this month:
- Imeem: I have found an amazing site: imeem.com. It is a site composed of members’ playlists. You can listen to all playlists by streaming from your computer. There is even a link to ITunes to download the playlist to your Ipod. Easy, peasy. I have found insanely great playlists for Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist, Adventureland, and I Love You Man. It makes the work day go by SO much better.
- Goodreads.com: book club + facebook. This site allows people to add books they have read, are reading, and will read. You can put up comments about the book, recommend certain books, and even browse reviews. As a person who routinely throws money out the window on horribly boring books, I have found this site very useful. Also, it makes me WANT to read. You can post your progress… and who wants to be “that girl” whose reading progress stays stagnant.
- My beaded necklaces (in green, red, and silver). Since I have been traveling for work for God knows how long this year, these necklaces are the only things that look good with everything, can dress up a t-shirt, and are small so packing is easy (no worries about wrinkles or weird suitcase smell).

- Siggi’s Skyr Icelandic Yogurt. I got this from the most gigantic Whole Foods in the County. It is in Austin and was like walking into a shopping mall of organic food filled with the smell of patchouli and the site of healthy, smiley, weirdly too happy people. This was the best yogurt I have ever had and have been craving it since I have gotten back to PA. Austin is a curiously mystical happy, healthy, and welcoming place. The yogurt doesn’t stray far from the course.

10 Miles, BABY!

I just ran 10 miles today!! 10!!! My feet have a ton of blisters and I really think one of my toes nails might come off (seriously) but I did it!! This is the first time in my life that I have run in the double digits. I am soooooo happy and soooooo tired but the feeling of accomplishment overshadows the pain!! YAY!!

Success!

The Team in Training Event at the Bottom Line was a success!! We raised $315 towards my half-marathon!! A HUGE thanks goes out to all our friends who came out and supported this cause. It is a nice way to raise money and feel the support of those who love you :)

HUGE THANKS!!

It has been two months since I have updated my blog! I hope you all still have your appetites for sarcasm. I being working, working, and working. I do not remember the last time I worked this many hours in such a short amount of time. Oh the stories I can tell about hotels in Gaithersburg, MD and Arlington, VA….let’s just say sleeping didn’t happen very much and I now hate all other people, especially those who watch TV at 4 a.m. Seriously, what is on that is soooo important, don’t you people have JOBS you have to get up for?!?! Oh, the stories.

BUT I am now back home and somewhat back to my regular schedule. I am running up a storm. I am up to 7 miles now which is totally kicking my butt. I am now 100% certain my body hates me for doing this to it and tries to rebel by giving me bad hair days almost every day. We are in a fight. OH and all those people who saying “running helps you lose weight” are all liars or forgot to tell my butt that. I have actually ended up gaining weight since I have started running, and no not “muscle” weight but “I have to buy new pants” weight. When I had to stop running for a week during my first week of work in DC I dropped the bloat weight in a week. Once I started running, BOOM bloat weight back on. I know I should be concerned about “fitness” and “health” but at the moment I would just like to fit into pants. You can’t really go to the grocery store pant-less. No matter what, I am sticking to running and I am very proud of myself that I am :)

I am still trying to raise the rest of my Team in Training fundraising goal. I have $900 left to go and found out if I don’t raise it; it comes out of my credit card. Thanks economy. SO Bryan and I have planned a later Happy Hour at the Bottom Line bar in DC from 8 p.m. - 11p.m. People will pay cover to get drink specials and all the cover paid goes toward the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I will be hanging up banners, balloons, etc to show that 1. It is a legitimate cause and 2. To show fun-ness! I am even color coordinating my outfit to match the Team’s color: PURPLE! Check out the Bottom Line’s webpage: http://www.thebottomlinedc.com/ Look up “events”; my Happy Hour is an “event” (March 6th)!!!! How awesome is that!!!
Also, I have had to switch to the Long Branch Half-Marathon in Long Branch, New Jersey: www.njmarathon.org. I started out with a pretty hefty fundraising goal and had to dial it back a little but now I will be running at the Jersey Shore!

Be sure to check out my fundraising page (http://pages.teamintraining.org/epa/nj09/hkendro) and forward this blog to anyone who would be interested in donating to a good cause. This experience has changed me in so many ways. I feel so honored to be able to do this.

5 Miles

I am officially up to running over 5 miles straight through. This past Saturday I ran 5.25 miles at Valley Forge National Park. The trail was hard: up and down, right to left, and broken up pavement. I was definitely hurtin' later that day. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who didn't complain when I commandeered the TV and watched "The Other Boleyn Girl", which was great by the way. I was nervous because at first it seemed boring but it was drama, drama, drama! It was like the OC only this stuff really actually happened!!!! Am I the only one who remembers (and still misses) the OC? I hope not, if so, the OC was on in 2003 and was the most drama filled show I have ever seen, like 90210 only these people forgot to take their Prozac. Now I have to settle for Gossip Girl.

ANYWAYS! I wanted to keep everyone informed of my running progression. I am so proud that I was able to run this far!! Not to mention I saw 14 deer as I was running!!! Valley Forge was definitely a great place to run and take in the scenery.

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve and will continue to have a wonderful New Year :) My resolution is to keep running!!!