Letters To Baby K - Week 19

This week was going great, with the exception of stress from work, until I ended up in the emergency room. Scariest. Day. Of. My. Life!!! Yesterday, I came home from work, which happened to be a particularly stressful day. I started cooking dinner and ran upstairs to change into my pjs and go the bathroom. I had been kind of crampy, but nothing note-worthy to even be worried about. I had WAY worse cramps earlier in my pregnancy.

Insert TMI warning (for some) here. If you don't care to know the details then you should skip the next few lines. I don't think it's a big deal so I'm choosing to share it for women who may end up going through the same thing.

After using the restroom I was alarmed to find the toilet paper cover in dark brown blood. Immediately, I begin to panic (don't panic if this happens to you, it only makes it worse!) and cry. I was thinking, "No, no, no! Please don't let anything be wrong!" I began to pray repeatedly and quickly dialed my Dr. The on call Dr. called the ER and told me to head over there immediately. Luckily, my husband was on his way home and minutes from the house. Justin ran inside, whisked me away and quickly drove to the ER. A little too quickly, I might add, but he was panicked, so I understand. The wait wasn't long, literally within minutes a nurse from L&D was grabbing me with a wheelchair and rushing to the room for a full sonogram. The nurses were wonderful and comforting, one of them even prayed over me, which I really appreciated. Luckily, my mom was also in town taking care of my Niece and was able to come to the hospital. Long story short everything turned out fine and Peyton is healthy and safe!

I cannot even put into words how terrified I was. The fear of losing a child is paralyzing and I pray to God that I never have to feel that pain again.

So, on a happy note, we got an extensive viewing of Peyton and I even got to see him again the very next day at my scheduled doctors appointment. He is growing like a weed and they guestimated that he weighs around 10oz. He was kicking up a storm and I really enjoyed watching him tumble around and do "baby yoga" with his legs all the way over his head for the very last sono picture.

Justin is so excited to meet his little buddy, he even went out and bought a cute little outfit for Peyton the very next day, with no help from me I might add. He's got great taste! He's so adorable. I can't wait to see him loving on Peyton. It melts my heart just thinking about it!

If this is your first time on the blog feel free to check out some of my previous pregnancy posts! I hope you'll stick around for the long haul!

Previous posts:
Week 18
The Growing Bump
Week 17
Gender Reveal
Week 16
Week 15
Week 14
Week 13
Week 12

Letters to Baby K - Week 18

There is a definite bun in the oven and it's a growin'! Peyton has started moving a whole lot more and I can really feel it now! It's still the soft subtle "popcorn pops" slash "knocking", but they are stronger than they were when I first felt them back during week 16. Still waiting on a hard kick! I do think I can feel him rolling, but only when I'm laying flat on my back. It feels like odd pressure in my belly, like a big fish kind of swimming? It's so hard to describe the feeling to someone who's never been pregnant. I mean seriously, what person would know what popcorn popping or a fish swimming in your belly felt like if they've never been pregnant!? "Oh yeah, a fish swimming in your belly, I know exactly what you're talking about"...said no one ever! Whether you understand what I mean or not, just know, it is the most wonderful feeling in the world! You feel so connected to the little one inside of you, an unbreakable bond that no one else will experience besides you and your baby. Makes me all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it! I can also now feel Peyton kicking from the outside with my hand firmly pressed against my lower stomach. Justin has tried many times to feel it, but no such luck. I have no idea how he can't feel it! I guess I can just feel it more because I can feel him kicking from the inside and outside simultaneously so it's easier for me. But, we all know how men are, haha! He probably is zoning in and out and just doesn't notice it with his hand resting there. Oh well, the time will soon come when he can feel the hard kicks! And the last cool thing I can now feel is Peyton pressing up against the wall of my uterus from the outside. Again it's only when I'm laying down. All of the sudden I'll feel him roll and then a hard bump forms on my lower stomach. Then if I poke it, gently of course, within a few seconds or minutes it will disappear when he rolls again! Ahh, it's just so crazy to experience for the first time!

And in baby growth news, Peyton should now be around 5 to 6 inches from head to rump, the size of a bell pepper, and weigh about 5.5 oz. It's hard to believe I can feel 5.5 oz moving! That's so tiny! Next week I will be going in for my next check up/sonogram (19 weeks), so we will see just how big he actually is. I can't wait!!

If this is you first time on the blog be sure to check out the previous week posts and our gender reveal! Hope to see you back for week 19!

Previous posts:
The Growing Bump
Week 17
Gender Reveal
Week 16
Week 15
Week 14
Week 13
Week 12

The Growing Bump

Peyton is growing so fast, it's unbelievable! I mean, seriously think about how quickly babies grow. One day you're thinking "Yeah, I know I'm pregnant, but I still don't feel pregnant" then BAM! You can feel your baby moving and rolling and even feel your tummy harden and soften as baby pushes against the wall of your uterus. Just like that, everything changes, and you FEEL the realness of pregnancy set in. I am so excited for the coming months, the "cheery" phase of pregnancy lol especially after living in hell for a few weeks during the first trimester. I've felt really great since about week 14 and I'm am so thankful for that! So, listen to me when I say the old wives tale about being more nauseous/sick when you're pregnant with a girl...completely and utterly FALSE. The myth about the heart rate being over 140 if it's a gril...FALSE. Craving sweets = girl...FALSE. Breaking out more than usual has to mean girl...FALSE. False, false, false! Haha, don't get me wrong, it's fun to play and guess based on these old wives tales, but there is nothing scientific about them, hell, you have a 50/50% shot now matter what, and God is going to give you exactly what you were intended to have, so don't put too much stock in the old (but fun) wives tales. Okay, back to the real reason of this post lol...check out that growing bump! I thought it would be fun to put together then last six weeks of pregnancy just to see how far we've come. Isn't it funny, most women do everything in their power to keep the pooch at bay by dieting like crazy and working out like maniacs, yet we are so stinkin' proud with the baby bump comes along! I guess I'm one of those women! I sure do love my bump and I can't wait for it to grow even more :) Perhaps I should purchase this adorable tank from Etsy to show just how much I love it! Hehe!

If this is your first time visiting the blog be sure to check out my previous pregnancy posts, I'd love for you to follow along!

Previous posts:
Week 17
Gender Reveal
Week 16
Week 15
Week 14
Week 13
Week 12

Letters to Baby K - Week 17

If you missed the last post, we're having a boy!!! This past weekend one of my best friends through us an amazingly sweet and heartfelt gender reveal shower! It was so much fun and couldn't have asked for anything more creative and beautiful! I was so surprised that Baby K was a boy. I was seriously convinced it was a girl. Originally I had thought it was a boy, you can ask Mandy! I said several times, "I just know it will be a boy" but then when all of the pregnancy symptoms started kicking in like nausea, pimple breakouts, and sweet cravings I started leaning more towards a girl. I guess you initial gut feeling is always right! If you follow me on Instagram, it's no secret I was team pink. The thought of a sweet little girl and all the fun clothes and accessories was so exciting to think about, but in all honesty I've always wanted to have an older son and younger daughter. Looks like we're on track for that! I'm actually really excited it's a boy. Seeing Justin's face light up at the gender reveal makes my heart melt. He is so darn excited to have a little hunting/fishing/sports buddy and that makes me happy too. Ugh! I can't wait to dress him up in cute little sweaters and bow ties! Oh, and lets not forget the sweetest reaction from my dad! Unfortunately, he was unable to attend the gender reveal because he had used all of his time off for shoulder surgery, but we recorded it and put it on youtube and my blog for him to watch. After I sent him the video he text me back and said "Good thing I didn't come to the party, I don't think the girl (mandy) would have had enough flood insurance" haha! aka daddy was crying :) I said "Aww dad, are you crying?" and he says "Haven't stopped" I love my sweet daddy, he's so excited for a grandson, he's been outnumbered for years!

Week 16 was by far the most stressful week to date. Not because of anything pregnancy related, but because of my new job. Starting a new job while pregnant and learning the ropes is tough. Especially when I have to be up at 5 am working 12 and 13 hour days to meet deadlines and attend a large conference. Needless to say I am thankful that week is over and I'm ready for my schedule to return to normal.

Peyton is now the size of an onion (ew), 4.5 to 5 inches and weighs around 3.5 ounces! This week I've started feeling the baby flutters which is sooo exciting and strange! For now it feels like popcorn popping or like someone knocking from the inside. Each day I feel more and more and they get stronger and stronger. I even had my hand resting low below my belly button and I felt a movement from the outside! It was so crazy! I can't wait to feel more!

Previous Weeks:
Gender Reveal
Week 16
Week 15
Week 14
Week 13
Week 12

Baby K's Gender Reveal!

This weekend we finally learned the gender of Baby K!! The anticipation leading up our big day was thrilling and overwhelmingly exciting. Like the thrill and happiness you felt the day you met your husband, after your husband proposed, and the day you said I do all rolled in to one big ball!

One of my very best friends, Mandy, threw us a beautiful gender reveal, for which I will always be extremely grateful. Our gender reveal was far from typical and so much fun! Mandy knows that I love creativity and that I always strive to do something that's original and new. However, Mandy, being the little stinker that she is decided to tease all of us with the ways that I requested she not reveal the gender. (I still love you Mandy!!) Gender reveals have become so popular and there are tons of pins on Pinterest of people doing the cake reveal, the balloon box reveal, and games that lead to a gender specific phrase. Not that any of those aren't super cute ways to reveal the baby's gender, but I just wanted to be surprised in a very special/original way and boy did Mandy knock it out of the park! I had never seen or heard of the way that she chose to reveal the gender.

To start, Mandy had everyone guess the gender by wearing a pin and putting a tally on a board for girl or boy. Throughout the party we played games in teams (team boy and team girl). First, Mandy asked that we gather to draw the way that Baby K's gender would be revealed. Justin drew first and selected "Cake". Everyone headed to the formal dining room to watch in anticipation as we cut the question mark cake!

To our surprise the cake had yellow filling and was not the way we would find out the gender. You can see Mandy in the left corner enjoying her little tick, haha! So, cake was passed out and another game was played to build up more anticipation.

After the game it was my turn to draw the way we would reveal Baby K's gender...or so I thought. I drew "Balloons" which meant the balloon box reveal. Thinking this was it we all headed to the back yard!

With out hearts pounding we pulled the ribbon on the box annnddd of course the balloons were white! Does this mean I'm not pregnant!?! What the heck! lol So this was also not the way we would reveal Baby K's gender. Again, we all headed inside to play one last game.

After the last game was played Mandy finally assured us that the third and last way would definitely reveal Baby K's gender! Everyone was instructed to gather in a circle to read a story. Unbeknownst to everyone, guests had been signing a children's book titled "I Love You So" as the guest book seen in the first picture of this blog. Once we had gathered Mandy passed out small white bags with stuffing in them. We were instructed not to peek or open them, but to instead listen to the story and every time the word "Love" was read pass your bag to the person on your right. We were then told one person's bag contained Baby K's gender and to shout it out when we found it. Secretly, all of the bags had a small charm that said "It's A Boy" tied to a ribbon in them. As Mandy read the book we passed the bags around and of course my waterworks started flowing! The story was so sweet and heartwarming, I couldn't help but bawl like a baby. When the story ended everyone tore into their bags searching for Baby K's gender. I was thinking something blue or pink would be in the bag so when I didn't see color I searched the room for the winner. To my right I heard a soft question, "It's a boy?" it took like two seconds and the room erupted with cheers and hollers of "IT'S A BOY!!" The loudest coming from where Justin and his friends were sitting lol. Justin's brother filmed the entire thing, a wonderful keepsake and the perfect ending! See it here below.

Yep, Baby K is a sweet baby boy!! My gut feeling was wrong! Actually, I had originally thought Baby K was a boy, but then changed my mind when pretty much ALL of the old wives tales were pointing to girl. It just goes to show you that they are exactly that, old wives tales, don't believe them! Haha! Justin and I are just over the moon excited that we're having a boy! Justin is oober excited to do all of the daddy and son things with his son. Gah! Just music to my ears, our son!!

After much deliberation we decided on the name Peyton Charles Kurtz. I think it just flows so well, don't you?

We had the absolute best time at our gender reveal and cannot thank Mandy and all of our friends and family who attended enough for making it such a special day! We love you all very much! Here are a few more pictures for the party. I can't wait to update you with more week by week bump photos and letters to Peyton!! See you in a few days for week 17!

Sharing a hug after finding out Baby K's gender...don't mind the running mascara lol

hugs all around!

Inspecting the sonograms, yep, it's definitely a boy! Haha!

Giving Mandy a big ole bear hug!

One proud daddy.

With my mom. Dad had to miss for work.

Justin's Dad and Step-mom

Justin's mom

Letters to Baby K - Week 16

What a quick week 15 was! Remember how I said pregnancy brain was getting bad? Yeah, it hit it's peak this week with me driving the wrong way down a one way street! Luckily, it wasn't a busy road and I quickly realized what I was doing and was able to laugh at myself while my friend Mandy, who I was on the phone with, hysterically laughed at me! Gotta love your best friends! Besides the pregnancy brain I am steadily gaining healthy weight and am up about 6 lbs. I have also started having some mild back pain when I wake up even though I am sleeping with my prego pillow between my legs, hopefully that doesn't get worse, although I'm sure it will. Nausea has also disappeared (for now), hooray! I would rather be in pain than be nauseous. Although, brushing my teeth does make me gag and sometimes the texture of my gummy prenatal vitamins make me feel like I'm chewing on something weird, like skin...*cringe!* Even with all the new symptoms I do think I have hit my cheery stage of pregnancy and my energy is coming back. I learned that the three stages of pregnancy are weary, cheery and dreary lol. I sure hope the cheery stage lasts well into my third trimester!

The best part of this week was going to Baby K's gender ultrasound! Even though Baby K was being super stubborn, face-planted, where we couldn't get a profile view and keep its legs crossed for a good 10 minutes the nurse was finally able to see the gender! (Images below) She said she was 95% sure of the gender and that she never says 100%, although she's been doing this for 28 years...I think we'll take her word for it! Since our friend Mandy is throwing us the gender reveal we invited her to come along to the scan, I mean someone should have some fun watching the scan right!? While the nurse was doing her scan I heard Mandy get real quiet and felt the ultrasound scanner stop on my tummy. I knew that finally Baby K had opened its legs and I said "Mandy, you holding it together over there?" to which she replies "Barely!" I could tell her voice was cracking and I asked "Are you crying!?" and she says "Almost!" Now, that got my mind going in a million directions! Thinking, well maybe it's a girl and she's crying because she knows that will make me happy or maybe it's a boy and she's exited because she's thought it was a boy the whole time...I could speculate forever! Justin was turned around facing the wall and said Mandy looked over at him wide-eyed with her hand over her mouth trying to hide her expression lol. I guess we will just have to wait and see Saturday!! Gah, these next two days are going to be torture!! Can't wait to update you all on the gender very soon!!

Sonograms from the gender reveal, minus the actual gender images lol.

Baby K face planted with its legs curled to its chest lol

You can see the legs and arms curled up here like a little frog lol and that one arm in the background looking like a chicken wing haha!

And for Baby K's growth update...Baby K is 4.5 inches according to the ultrasound, weighs about 2.75 oz and is the size of an avocado! During this week Baby K's muscles are developing to the point that it can hold its head erect and make a variety of facial expressions! Boy that baby is growing fast! See you next week for week 17!

Previous Weeks:
Week 15
Week 14
Week 13
Week 12