THIRTY FIVE

It’s week 35 and there’s only 35 days left until “Little One’s” arrival! Here are some pictures & updates from our past few weeks:

Gramma Kiki visits us in Indianapolis/Cincinnati for a family baby shower! 

Week 33 was a week of Baby Shower fun!  My “P&G family” hosted a shower at work - an overwhelming display of adorableness.  My co-workers have become like family over the past seven years and I feel indescribably lucky to have such generous & thoughtful colleagues.  We were also thrown a gorgeous baby shower by our families.  It was the first time our parents were all together since we revealed the news of our bundle-of-joy --- truly the greatest gift of all. The shower had a “cute as a button” theme and it could not have been more heartfelt. Yet another remarkable display of affection for Baby P, who is already loved by so very many! 

The "Cute As A Button" Cake from our Shower

My mom stayed in town the week after the baby shower to help us with some “nesting.”   I could go on-and-on about all the projects she helped us with, but will instead focus on two appliances that she introduced to our home: an Iron and a Sewing Machine.

34 weeks - Baby weighs as much as a cantaloupe! 

KRISTIE vs. THE IRON

I have a love/love relationship with my dry cleaner (big shout-out to Kelly Kidd if you are reading this)!  There’s honestly never been a moment in my life when I’ve thought “I should just iron this instead of taking it to the cleaner.” Up until a few weeks ago, I didn’t even own an iron.  Jonny used to have a red one and I hid it in the deep, dark corner of our laundry room cabinet where it would never be seen (or used).  My mom, on the other hand, loves to iron EVERYTHING. She irons pajamas. She irons pillowcases. She irons dish towels. As I said, EVERYTHING.  So when she bought me an iron a few weeks ago, I ran like hell – far, far, away.  I pouted and kicked and screamed “why are you doing this to me?????” (a slight exaggeration perhaps, but that’s how I felt).  So when I bought some new bedding for our master, my mom suggested I iron the sheets... and the dust ruffle... and the duvet. And just to make her happy and to prove to her that I could iron without grimacing, I did it.   And you know what? I LIKED IT!  I have been thinking ever since about what I want to iron next - probably the cute hospital gowns and PJ's that my mom bought me for the hospital. Sometimes (most times), moms really do know best!  

Kiki's sewing expertise coming to life in the nursery - hemmed curtains & tailored changing pad cover

KRISTIE vs. THE SEWING MACHINE

My mom gave us a sewing machine as a baby shower gift, which is very special because I have so many memories of my mom sewing as I was growing up --- especially around Halloween. She always made our costumes: a crayon, a dinosaur, a princess, little red riding hood, etc.  I remember one year she was extra-busy with work and she didn’t have time to sew me a costume. She creatively whipped up an idea in less than 10 minutes: put a black garbage bag over my head, stuffed the inside with cotton, and glued fake leaves to the outside. “Tell them you’re a bag of leaves,” she said.  “Oookkkkk,” I tentatively responded as I waddled out the door wearing my garbage bag sweat-suit.  After ringing a few doorbells, people kept asking if my costume was a tree.  This was very upsetting to me and I think it was the last year I went trick-or-treating.  What can I say? I was very spoiled by her many awesome costumes from previous years.  I am excited to take some sewing lessons so I can walk in Mama Dub’s footsteps and create similar memories for our kiddos to laugh about one day. 

Week 35 - Baby weighs as much as a Honeydew Melon! 

Week 35 marks a few Baby P milestones. For starters, Kiki got to hear Little One's heart beat proudly & strongly at our last doctor’s appointment. The baby was so happy about this that he/she kicked the doctor after he put the Doppler on my stomach.  Secondly, after 35 weeks the doctor has very few concerns about the baby requiring prenatal care. The kidneys and liver are fully developed and the lungs are just growing stronger by the day. Our baby’s biggest job right now is to get nice & plump – to gain about ½ lb. per week.  

Jonny and I are having lots of fun tickling the baby lately, which usually causes him/her to move.  I’m really craving drinks right now and am constantly thirsty. Sometimes I go to the refrigerated drink section of our Fresh Market and I just stare at it for minutes at a time … debating which flavored tea or soda I want to try.   So if you see a very pregnant lady at your local grocery store just staring into space and appearing lost or indecisive, just leave her alone.  I promise you - she’s working through a lot of things in her head at that moment and trying to make a big decision. J  

And on a final note, our baby experienced his/her first Indy 500 this year. It was a wild day with our hilarious friends that we love so much! 

Rickshaw nonsense at the Indy 500

MOTHER

“Mom is such a small word for something that means ‘everything in the world.’”

Baby weighs 3.75 lbs. --- getting chubbier everyday! 

In honor of Mother’s Day, Jonny and I thought it would be fun to share 3 things that each of our exceptional Moms has taught us.  These are lessons we will pass along to our Little One:  

Lessons Kristie has learned from Cathi: 

1.       Color outside the lines.  Be unique, think big, and don’t be afraid to go against the grain once in a while … especially if it will lead you to happiness. I promise that if your kindergarten teacher calls me with concerns that you don’t color inside the lines, I won’t be mad. In fact, I will be smiling inside.

2.       Respect yourself.   When you lay your head on the pillow at the end of each day, you want to feel proud of yourself.  Don’t let the popular opinion negatively influence the person you are or the person you can be.  And give others that same respect.

3.       Don’t say “hate.” You should especially avoid this word when speaking about your mother.  Trust me on this. When you are 10 years old and want to test the boundaries just to see what happens when you say those three little words (“I hate you”), you’ll be immediately heartbroken.   

Lessons Jon has learned from Deb: 

1.       Never be satisfied.  Watching my Mom as I grew up taught me to always strive to be the best, and do the best.  She often told me I was a great kid, but when I could improve, she would definitely let me know.  She taught me to always work hard to be better.  Even when I thought I had something down-pat, she could offer advice on how to improve.  She knew everything from English papers to trumpet solos, and taught me to better myself at everything she could.  

2.       Always care for others.  Throughout my childhood, my mom was always helping others.  Her other full time job (besides dressing Sean and I for sledding in the snow) was in-home health care.  Her patients were a top priority, even though there were many times of uncertainty and danger. Despite this, she continued to do her job because she enjoyed helping others.  Currently working in a school system, her students mean the world to her and she works tirelessly to help shape their futures.  No matter how small the help, or thankless the job, she has shown me that helping others is a sure way to increase your own happiness.

3.       Be Accountable.  As with all moms, my Mom is extremely busy.  Even though Sean and I are "out of the house," she still has a million things going on every day.  Even with all of the jobs that she does, she is always accountable to do what she says she will.  If I, or my newly growing family, needed anything, she would offer to help and you could take that offer to the bank.  She always says what she means, and does what she says.  

There is one last lesson from BOTH of our parents: “be good.”  This has been a phrase we first heard as children and have continued to hear ever since. To this day, most of the phone conversations with our parents end with “Be good. Love you!”   We love this Warzala-Pritchard tradition ... definitely one we'll be using as we raise Baby P!

Mother’s Day is dedicated to the wonder-women who raise their kiddos with so much unconditional love.   I can’t wait to be swallowed by that unimaginable amount of love that a mother has for her child. Only 8 short weeks to go… 

Playing our wedding song ("Whatever It Is" - Zac Brown Band) for the little Wiggle-Worm

Planted 7 flats of Begonias in honor of Mother's Day --- it's finally Springtime!  

Jonny lounging with the dogs on our comfy new deck furniture. 

Perfect ending to a perfect Mother's Day (to be) --- YUMMM!

DREAMS

Baby P is exactly two months away from his/her ETA!

16" and 3.3 lbs --- about to hit another growth spurt! 

I have read that the baby’s arms & legs are now proportionate to the head … and it definitely feels that way.  Baby P's "wiggleworm" personality has not changed one bit.  Sometimes it feels like he/she is rocking back and forth underneath my ribs, as if trying to get a back scratch.  And there are other times when a little foot presses up on my stomach and then stays there, just as happy as can be. I love to gently push back on that little foot and to feel the reaction of the baby moving away. It’s like we are communicating without any words and those moments are so special.  Above all, Jonny and my favorite movements are those super-strong ones that cause my shirt to jump off my belly, which is the craziest thing to see. They happen in the blink-of-an-eye, but when we catch one it bewilders both of us. We are really, actually, truly having a baby.  And it is growing bigger and stronger every single day.

I also read that the baby can now dream when he/she sleeps. And this has me wondering: what does a baby who has yet to be born actually dream about? Are the dreams about things that the baby can experience in the womb: our voices, music, or what it’s like to see light instead of darkness?  Or are the dreams just like the ones people have? And if the latter, how does the baby know about the vast possibilities of dreams having not yet experienced all of the things that this beautiful life has to offer?

Whatever he or she is dreaming of, I hope the dreams are B-I-G. And sweet. And full of potential. And I hope at least one of them is about how it will feel to be held by his/her Mom & Dad for the first time --- because that’s definitely what we’ve been dreaming about lately.

With Love,

Kristie 

HAPPY

As I write this we are inching near the 31 week milestone … only 64 days until THE day! 

30 Weeks along ... 10 more to go! 

Last week was a bit of an emotional vortex in the Pritchard house.  Forest (our “big dog”) was diagnosed with cancer.  I cried every day for a week upon learning this news.  And the tears weren’t small & pretty. They were torrential rainfall kind of tears that don’t stop until your eyes are physically incapable of producing more salty drops of sadness.  And when the physical tears vanished, my attention diverted to a throbbing heartache. Each heartbeat felt like a mallet to a gong – vibrating and permeating my body with the twinge of reality that we’ll soon be missing the sound of 4 paws clickity-clacking around our house.  

But one cannot simmer in weeks such as those without eventually collapsing into the arms of hope. I began to think about how many tears I’ve avoided in the past 8 years as a result of Forest’s gentle, unconditional love.  About how one swat of his paw in request of an ear-scratch could bring a smile to my face (and still can).  He has raised Jonny and I to be a stronger couple. We value the selfless act and responsibility of caring for something other than ourselves --- more than we care about ourselves most days.  The volume of tears I cried last week will never outweigh all the laughter he has given us. And so, I am resolved to make the time we have left with Forest a time that is filled with h-a-p-p-i-n-e-s-s. 

Forest being a happy dog ... he has the sweetest eyes! 

We’ve since been spoiling the Big Dog with lots of non-traditional treats: peanut butter, snickerdoodle cookies, rawhide bones… even some Worcestershire sauce.  We also outfitted him with some kickin’ boots (or “Air Jordans,” as Jonny calls them) to wear around the house, which give his hips some relief when he walks on our hardwood floors. He is happily following us around much more easily than he has been in the past few weeks.  His hardest time of day is nighttime, so we have been waking up intermittently throughout the night to pet him on the head and soothe him until he falls back asleep.  In keeping with my promise to find the “happy” in things, I remind myself that the nighttime snuggles are Forest’s way of training us for our lives with a baby. 

In baby news, I was showered in Cincinnati last weekend by some of my gorgeous girlfriends from near & far!  Every last detail was so personal and thoughtful. They knew I have been craving cheese & sweets, so they served different snacks with pasteurized feta and the most beautiful desserts. I literally ate 4 cake pops …. (shhhhh, don’t tell)!  And we played a fun game of matching celebrities to their kids’ names, which I won and didn’t mind bragging about - ha! Everyone was so generous with advice, gifts, and most of all, sincere friendship. My heart overflows with gratitude to have such wonderful girls – I can’t imagine a full life without each of them.   

Baby P getting lots of rubs & kisses at the shower!  

We now visit the OBGYN every two weeks and had another visit this week.  Our pregnancy continues to progress as beautifully as we could have imagined. The baby's measurements are right on track and his/her heartbeat continues to strum proudly & strongly (156 bpm)! It really seems that as soon as we’ve left one appointment we’re heading back to another --- time is FLYING!  Our nursery is still coming together and our next job is to start hanging some framed artwork on the walls … want a sneak peek??

Yesssssss, Baby P! You will be a sleeper! 

... Jonny is still trying to learn this lesson :) 

CRAVINGS

Today marks 29 weeks --- only 11 more until Our Little One's arrival! 

Week 29 ... Baby's Heart Rate was 144 BPM

The third trimester is shot-putting me back into a drowsy haze - sorta like the first trimester except it has become harder to find a comfy position for sleeping. Jonny bought me a body pillow a few weeks ago, which has been the most awkward sleep-saver of all time!  A girlfriend of mine compared being pregnant and sleeping with a body pillow to the likes of wrestling an alligator – and she was SO right.

Another thing that helps me sleep well is exercise, so I hit the gym this morning.  My doctor advised that my heartrate should stay below 140 BPM while exercising, which is a comfortably slow pace that often gets boring. But the good news is that it allows for lots of people watching. Today, for example, I watched two guys that I’ll affectionately call “the meatheads.” I’ll never knock anyone who invests time in their health and physical fitness, but these guys were EXTRA muscle-ish and EXTRA invested in showing off their gym-skills  - handstands, running in circles with a 35 lb. plates above their heads, high-fiving each other in between push-ups. As I chugged along on the elliptical, I imagined the things they’d say to each other after their workout:

                Meathead #1: Hey, man. Wanna grab some food?

                Meathead #2: Nah, I’ve got some eggs and chicken in my fridge at home.

                Meathead #1: I got you. I’ll just grab a protein shake before I head out.

               

This mentally fabricated dialogue got me thinking about how hungry I was!  And in the spirit of that pregnant-brained moment, I have decided to dedicate this blog to stories about food cravings. I’ll preface this by saying 1) I don’t give-in to cravings all the time and 2) I’m not going to write about healthy cravings. I crave healthy things quite a bit actually, but they are kinda less fun to tell stories about. For example, I’ve been munching on a big bowl of watermelon while I’ve been writing this blog, but I can’t think of anything interesting to write about watermelon … so I won’t. J 

1.       Back in January, I wrote a short blog called “pickles” and showed a picture of the lunch I ate that day:  lentil soup, goldfish crackers, and dill pickles.  Let’s all join-in and recite a collective “eeewww!”  Seriously. How gross is that?

2.       I once told Jonny that I was craving an Oreo.  He jumped in his car and came home with a grocery bag FILLED with Oreo-flavored things. He then apologized that he didn’t find an Oreo Cheesecake – ha! All I wanted was like, AN Oreo - singular! 

3.       About a month ago, I told Jonny there was chicken marinating in the fridge and asked if he’d grill it for dinner.  After he grilled the chicken to absolute perfection, I had a complete change of appetite and embarrassingly told him that I couldn’t eat it – all I wanted was noodles.  So, he made us a substitute meal of spaghetti with jarred red sauce – no muss/no fuss – and it tasted SOOO good.   Best.Husband.Ever!!

4.       Last week I went to dinner at a Mexican place with my friends Lindsay & Meghan.  We ordered what Lindsay call’s the “Mexican Flag” --- salsa, queso, and guacamole --- because the dips are the colors of the Mexican Flat (red, white, and green). Though I DID share the queso, I’ll admit that I didn’t want to. I could have drank it right from the bowl.

5.       And that brings me to this morning.  It was a beautiful, sunny morning that screamed “Today is not like every other day --- treat yourself to something other than a hardboiled egg for breakfast.”  So I drove to our local coffee shop, Hubbard & Cravens, which has the BEST decaf coffee and really great bran muffins.  I ordered both of those things to-go and then started driving home.  Just after I turned onto our street, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I wanted a Poppyseed Bagel. I literally pulled over, put the car in park, and internally debated whether I should to turn the car around and go get one. WHAT?   Ultimately, I made the decision to head home and enjoy my Bran muffin, but I’ve been wondering all day if I made the right choice. Maybe we’ll have bagels for dinner …

What the baby-belly looks like on an elliptical machine (where have my feet gone??)!

CHIHUAHUA

It’s hard to believe I am about to type the words “third trimester.” But I just did. And so I guess that makes it official … we are 28 weeks!

On the food-spectrum, our baby is the size of a Chinese Cabbage. I don’t have the first clue what a Chinese Cabbage looks like. And if I am being 100% honest, I don’t really care to find out.  Fortunately, one of my favorite pregnancy blogs, “"The Pregnant Chicken," said that at 28 weeks our baby is the size of a Chihuahua.  I saw a Chihuahua this past weekend and its legs were scampering across the sidewalk as it pulled against the owner's leash. I marinated in the idea of that rowdy Chihuahua romping around in my tummy for about 5 seconds … and then I got a little freaked out.  But I have to admit that the movement of the pup’s little feet kinda reminded me of our Baby’s kicks.    They are getting so much stronger and more frequent!  

27 Weeks with Kiki, GP, and Conners (Forest was being a little camera shy)

28 Weeks with My Fabulous Mom --- THANK YOU for all your help with the nursery!!! 

This past week my parents came to Indianapolis for a visit and spent lots of time graciously helping us to prepare for our Little One! Thanks to my mom, the nursery is now painted a really fresh gray that looks so beautiful with our furniture and bedding. We also went shopping for some Baby necessities, which was hilarious for everyone because it took my parents back to what things were like when I was a baby.  My Dad told me about how excited he was when Korey and I were finally potty trained because he did not have to buy diapers anymore. In the vein of that memory, he bought us a huge box of Pampers - ha!

My mom painting the nursery --- bye/bye to the brown! 

Baby P's crib bedding and lots of "furry friends!" 

My friend Lindsay and her mom (Pam) threw me a gorgeous baby shower at their home.  The weather outside was so warm – like the first day of Spring – and we were showered with so much love from our Indianapolis friends. It was a beautiful afternoon!   

The tablescape at my baby shower - I want these flowers in my house everyday! 

My incredible Indianapolis family - looooove these girls so much! 

Isn't this such a cute baby blanket?  Pam quilted it herself and it is GORGEOUS! 

My mom and I were also part of a team that planned a wedding shower for my friend, Jess, who has been a friend of mine since 4^th grade.   When planning my wedding, I always felt like the best part was being surrounded by the most formative people in our lives – our families and our friends. I could tell that Jess felt that very emotion at her shower. She was over-the-moon with happiness and appreciation for everyone who came to celebrate her upcoming marriage. Isn't she going to be a stunning bride? 

Happy Wedding Shower, Jess --- I love that smile from ear-to-ear! 

Best friends of 14 years --- Anne, Jess, and myself celebrating the bride to be! 

Finally, two things have happened in the past week that caused me to pause and absorb my reaction.  I am coming to find that I respond to certain situations differently as a mom-to-be than I likely would have pre-baby ... 

1.       My mom and I were in a car accident and my car’s bumper now has a bump, just like my growing belly! The accident was very minor, but my immediate reaction was to think about how terrible things could have been. For example, what if the airbag had gone off against my stomach? What if I already had the baby and he/she was in a car seat?  As I was asking all these questions I suddenly realized that every concern I had was about the baby. Not about my safety. Not about my car.  There was a natural “intuition” that kicked in – one that defaulted to the baby’s health, safety, and happiness.

2.       The terrible news of two bombings at yesterday’s Boston Marathon.  Such senseless acts have always caused my heart to ache for the victims and their families, but as we are bringing a baby into this world I find myself praying for hope more than ever before.  I want our child to be raised with the understanding that while there may always be acts of evil, the vast majority of people are inherently good.  I hope we can teach our child the importance of being kind. Of doing the right thing. That even in the face of darkness, we must be resilient and compassionate. We must be courageous. And we must be good.  

TRADITION

Happy Easter to all! I have been feeling extra “nesty” lately, so dressing up for Church, coloring Easter eggs, exchanging baskets, and making a big Sunday dinner were all on the top of my Easter wish-list. All the excitement got me thinking: why this year more than ever?

Week 26: we picked a new paint color for our nursery walls

Tradition. This is the first and last year that Jonny and I will spend Easter “just the two of us.” Historically, we have been blessed to surround ourselves with family. Next year, we will be blessed with the laughter of our 9 month old after his/her first witness of the Easter Bunny!  The time to bring new & old traditions into our lives has never felt more prime. And so, we did.

For starters, I made my Grandma Kate’s Irish Raisin Bread.  I wanted our house to smell like “home” and for us to have something delicious to eat when we woke up on Easter morning. This recipe dates back to 1955 – it tastes just like family and it started our day on the perfect note:

I'm told that baking in a cast iron skillet is the "secret" to this recipe

Doesn't OJ always taste better in a champagne flute?

When we began our hunt for a church in Indy a few months ago, we wanted to find one with uplifting messages and music.  Over the past few months, we've found that St. Luke’s delivers on both of these things (and more) and today was no exception.  Our choir sang "Hallelujah Chorus," which I'm not sure I have ever heard in a live-format before. And on a random note, I'm now in love with Timpani Drums. 

St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis

We had so much fun shopping for each other’s Easter baskets. When I was little, the Easter Bunny always put loose change in the plastic Easter eggs (isn't it funny the things you remember?). I decided to carry on the tradition for Jonny this year, but was taken by complete surprise when I shook one of the plastic eggs in MY basket and heard the familiar sound of spare coins. Apparently we both shared that tradition as kids!   We also randomly gave each other children's books, which we took turns reading out loud to the dogs. They both made excellent students and will be a good practice-audience for us before the baby arrives!   If shopping for three is anything like shopping for two, then we are in for a treat next year (and I’m not talking about the chocolate kind)!

THE EASTER BUNNY CAME!!! 

"Are You My Mother" by Dr. Seuss (one of my favorites as a child). YOU ARE A SNORT! 

Conley LOVES holidays - he thinks everything is a gift for him. 

We also colored eggs on  Easter Sunday - an old tradition for Jonny, but a new one for me. My family always colored eggs before Easter and then we got a crazily-painted egg (or two) in our baskets on Sunday morning. Jonny’s family always painted eggs on Easter, a fun craft that kept little hands busy!  I’ve mentioned on this blog before that I eat a hardboiled egg every morning --- and it looks like I will be having some very colorful + sparkly breakfasts this week:

Jonny's brother, Sean, is currently working in Malaysia. He  asked us to color an Easter egg for him. Can you guess which one is his? 

I also made a too-much-for-two Easter dinner complete with all of our favorites, so we shared the table with our neighbor Chris and two of his three children (Colt and Ila). Some things we learned are that kids love ham, pineapple, and bread. Some kids even like salad --- especially when there's bacon tossed in! And eventually we will need to buy some kid-friendly placemats and cups with sippy lids :)

Beer-Boiled Shrimpies! 

Jonny used the mandolin to slice potatoes for our gratin - and he didn't lose a thumb this time (hooray)! 

We cooked the ham in our smoker all afternoon and added a maple/dijon glaze before serving - DELICIOUS!!! 

Scallopped Potatoes - hot & bubbly out of the oven 

Caramelized Pineapple

We could not feel more fortunate than we did this Easter holiday on our 26 week milestone!  Sending oodles-and-oodles of love to each of you!

 --- Kristie, Jonny, + Baby