Avery's first Christmas

Baby Boo Hoo's

I cannot believe that a week has already passed since the birth of Ms. Avery. The first week has been full of unexpected emotions. I always thought bringing Avery home would be such a happy and exciting moment. H and I will whisk her in the front door, all happy and laughing, showing her around and setting everything up. Well, in reality, it was exciting, just not quite so.... perfect as I imagined. Even at the hospital, I was soooo ready to get her home. But as I was being wheeled out of the hospital room, the transportation attendent backed my wheelchair out and I got one last glimpse of the hospital room where I had stayed for the last few pivotal days. It started. This sad feeling swept over me. You know, you meet people in the hospital that you have just shared the most important days of your life with. The nurses and Dr's, Lactation consultants all helped me tremendously,and all shared this important time in Hillman and I's life, and I will never see them again. Its all over. The pregnancy, the long awaited delivery. The feeling reminded me of how I feel sometimes after Christmas, or some other big event that had taken so much planning, but much more intense. After so much planning... in a short time, Its all over. I mean.. I am so excited that Avery is here, I couldn't bare being pregnant one more day but its still sad. I brushed off the tears and we headed down to the car. Some where between Nashville and Ridgetop, Hillman was talking about something that I can't recall, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I began to sob. I mean sob like, I haven't sobbed like this since I was young. Huge tears fell from my eyes and I just couldn't stop. I sobbed for the rest of the day like this on and off. The best way for me to describe how i feel is totally and completely overwhelmed. Anxiety, sadness, overwhelmed, and tired. All week this has happened. It comes over me in waves. H just encourages me to talk to him about it, and I do. My mom came to stay with me and witnessed this first hand. She and I are a lot alike in the emotional aspect, she totally understood and made me feel so much better that she had experienced the same thing when she had me and my bro. The time came a few days later that she had to leave. I was so upset, she only lives an hour away but I was so sad. I wanted her to just stay forever!! My mom and I are really close. I could only hope Avery and I will have such a great mother/daughter relationship...I felt so alone. Hillman had to teach a class the night mom left and I was left here alone with Avery for the first time. It was almost unbearable for me emotionally. I remember just praying God would help me get through the next 3 hours or so. He understood me and sent my good friend Stacey over. She sat with me and kept my mind off of things. She has no idea how much that helped me, unless she reads this blog! ;-) I am feeling much better now. I am not as emotional now. I am feeling much more confident as a mother, many things are going well. I think it will also help when I can move around and tend to the house better. I am still experiencing quite a bit of pain from the C-sec incision, so i am pretty limited in the things I can do. Say a little prayer for us. We are getting there!!

Avery Kathryn Is Here

How is it that I could love someone so much that I just met? I mean...Ok, I didn't JUST meet her but, woah... I have never felt this much love for someone. Avery is here! She the most precious thing that has ever drawn a breath... maybe Im a little bias...

Thursday evening, around 9pm on the 13th of December I started having contractions. Hillman and I went to the hospital per Dr.'s advice at around 2am December 14th. We were admitted to Labor and Delivery at 3am...What happened next was a whirl wind beyond belief! I am going to tell you how my precious daughter came into this world, let me warn you.. Its not pretty as you can see in the picture above!

Everything went so smoothly until I started to push. I was admitted to L&D, experiencing very uncomfortable contractions happening every 2 min or so...Woah! Menstrual cramps on crack is what I told Hillman at one point in the middle of breathing, grasping onto the bed rails, and curling my toes to the point of foot cramps. H and the nurses found much humor in this statement but its true!!!! I chose to go the pain free route. The epidural was a breeze!!! Its not something I want to do every day but... wow, things were much more tolerable now. I felt a wonderful warm sensationcome over my legs, HEAVEN!!! Then I realized how many bags of that fluid had come through my IV, I had no control over my bladder and was terrified I would pee on the bed!! The nurse put a cath in thank goodness!!! WHEW! One embarrassing moment avoided!!! Many more to come that were unavoidable... We won't go into that much detail though, some things are just better kept to ourselves!!

Its time push. 1130 am. Friday December 14th. She is almost here! So I thought. I pushed, and pushed, and pushed.........2 hours later. I had NO more pushes left. The Doc came in through out the two grueling hours of pushing and found that Avery's head was turned the wrong way. "sunny side up" is what she called it. Ave was stuck, my hips would not allow her to come through. Utterly exhausted, I was sobbing. Feeling a lot of pain, despite the epidural, in my lower back ,I was totally and completely spent. The Dr realized this and told me no more pushing. I had one more push and she wanted to use a vacuum to turn her, not pull her out, but she though that if she could just turn her maybe I could push her out. A team came in, started prepping me for the vacuum and Hillman was sort of pushed back. All of these people were swarming around me, "sign here, what is your pain scale right now, can you feel this?" all of the sudden PUSH PUSH PUSH KARA PUSH! Nothing. The Doc, says the magic words, "Kara, lets get Ms. Avery out, I want to do a C-Sec. She'll be her in 30 min, lets go" BOOM! H was pushed even further away, more people swarmed me, ripping my gown off to expose ALL!! That's right, nothing left to the imagination at all, a nurse started frantically shaving my private area..i meant to ask for a Brazilian wax but I just couldn't get it out between my sobs. " lets hook her up to the real stuff" the CRNA said, they were stitching me, tugging on me, pushing me in places that I didn't know others could reach, and we're off!!

The O.R. Was bright, decorated in Christmas decor. By this time I was in and out of sleep, I was trying so hard to stay awake! The Dr asked me questions about my life that should have been easy for me to answer however.. I struggled to put sentences together. Before I knew it Hillman was holding my hand, he squeezed twice and said Kara! THis is it!!! Tugg, Tugg, Pressure PRESSURE! And HERE SHE IS!!! SLAP and WAHHHH WAHHHHH WAHHHHHH!!!! Oh my GOD, I remember saying, they let her peep over the giant blue curtain and she matched it! I gave birth to a beautiful smurf!!!! ;-) They put her on the exam table where i could barely see her out of the corner of my eye. I told H to go see her, I was fine. 8 lbs 6oz!!! 19&3/4 inches! WOW!! No wonder you couldnt push her out!!! My mouth felt like the driest desert and the CRNA gave me a damp rag to suck on..how nice!! It really helped!!They placed her on my shoulder, I could barely see her between my glasses the space of blur where my glasses couldn't cover, she was red now and the most amazing thing I have ever seen! Even if the Sahara Desert wasn't in my mouth, I actually had NO words. I just stared until someone whisked her away. "another tattoo saved" The Dr exclaimed! YAY! The crowd replied! Before I knew it, They were wheeling me out! I wanted to hug them all, tell them how much I appreciated them, express all of my gratitude but I couldn't say a word! My mouth was too dry and I was FIGHTING to stay awake!!

Back in recovery, My body was shaking uncontrollably! I felt as though I was in shock. My mom,dad, and brother were all in there. Hillman also by my side, trying to calm my nerves. CC the nurse tells me not to sit up too fast, I began to put my bed in the upright position. I really tried to slowly do that but apparently it wasn't slow enough! I had a rush of energy and a nurse stepped in and asked me if i wanted to see my baby! YES! I managed to say. Please! They brought her in to me. I held her and then the words left my mouth that I will never live down in my entire life...Sobbing I said " O my god, she's beautiful, somebody, take her, I'm going to throw up" My Mom gathered her up, Hillman grabbed a container and I lost it. I puked for the next hour! "Now its time to try to breast feed" I thought, everybody apparently looked at each other like"no way"... I was actually thinking, I cannot possibly give anything else from my body right now, but some how, with the help of my family and nurses, I managed to latch her on for a few precious moments in between hurl sessions.... Lovely huh!

Its over, what an event! I am not complaining in the least though. I am just simply sharing Avery's story of her blessed arrival. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It makes last years half marathon look like cake! She is here and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! It is truly amazing how wonderfully life is. I brought her into this world, there is nothing more satisfying that that. Get ready for a fun ride Avery! We will have our ups and downs but we have passed our first test in life together! Your birth.

Feelin' good...

Today's Dr appt. went much better than last Monday's. I feel really good today! With the exception of my on going hip pain that makes it very painful to WALK or do anything else...not that im complaining!! ;-) Dr Blake just looked at me and said..." you feel much better today huh??" Yeah, I'm not a sobbing mess like i was last week!!!

BP still read high until I laid on my left side. The baby's sitting on illiac arteries...stopping up the blood flow! I am now dilated to 3 cm. At least my body is doing SOMETHING!! If I do not go into labor on my own... I am going to try and wait until the 17th to be induced. Yes..that's 41 weeks. I am going to try to go into labor on my own, also, I have exams next week... Hopefully I'll go into labor earlier.. the sooner the better!!!!! H and I went to Las Palmas to get some spicy food, I heard that could speed up labor, nothing yet though!! Ill be sure to keep you posted as best as I can! Smooches! ~K

We've Gone "Green"

Check out our new car! Its a 2008 Toyota Prius (Hybrid) We had to order it, It will be here around the 11th, hopefully Avery will be here too!! Love you all!! ~K

Third trimester kicks first trimester's BUTT!!!

I am not one to complain, but DANG!! I am SOOO uncomfortable. Those of you who have been preggers before, this is old news, but oh my gosh!! I have never been so uncomfortable in all of my life! The third trimester kicks the first trimester's butt!!!

I haven't been feeling well the past few days, just out of energy, and so uncomfortable, The only way i can get any relief from my excruciating hip pain is if i sit in the hot bath, or if i sit straight up, legs out in front of me. But then the rest of me is uncomfortable!

I went to the Dr today for my weekly checkup and as i was sitting in the waiting room I just knew something was off. I was nauseous and I just felt so badly!! When nurse Judy came to get me she did the usual, weighed me (I actually didn't gain any this week!!) took a urine sample and my blood pressure. Low and behold, my blood pressure was really high! I didn't ask what it was... I wish I did, but it was high enough for them to make me stay there until it went down. When Dr Blake came in the room she waisted NO time asking me how I felt, I just busted out sobbing. "I just don't know how much more I can take of this!!" She looked at me with a very concerned and compassionate look, handed me some tissue, and continued to ask me questions specific to my high BP, She let me hear the Avery's heart beat and the tears started to dry up. She checked to see if I had dilated or effaced for the first time and she was surprised to find that I had dilated 2 cm and effaced 80%. THat made me feel much better!!!! At least I am going some where!! Who knows though, I may have been like this for the last month... She had me lay on my left side for 10 min or so and rechecked my BP. My bottom number was still 95 BUT she felt fine about that... Now I have cramps!! OUCH. Lets hope I go into labor, If she has to induce me, Ill still have three weeks to go. At least I know that she will be here in less than a month!!! Sorry to complain! I just wanted to share the latest with you all. I'll be sure to keep you updated! ~K

We've Moved! Im exhausted!

Check out what a difference new floors make!!! Love you all! ~K

We Made Strides Against Breast Cancer

Thank you all for the support you gave to this cause. I have walked this walk for the last 3 years. It is one of my favorite events because I am really passionate about finding a cure for breast cancer. I am also passionate about exercise and getting out in your community to show support. This year, at the very last minute I decided to get our YMCA in Robertson County involved. I didn't really have any expectations as to how many people would be able to participate due to the last minute request. I made a modest goal for our Y to raise $500. We exceeded this amount!! We raised over $1200!! That is so amazing. Imagine what we could do next year when we are able to spend more time organizing this event!! If this was your first event of this sort, I sincerely hope it is not your last. Much love! -Kara

More Belly Than I Bargained For!

33 weeks and still growing!

Belly Button: Still intact!

Rib Soreness: High

Heartburn: Occasional

Comfort Level: LOW

Sleep Level: Surprisingly high.

Number of times I have to pee: TOO MANY!!

Our House!

Hillman and I just bought a house!! Here are some pics. We are replacing the carpet...

A modern day hero indeed

One of my very own personal hero's is my Mammaw. She was whisked away to the other side on Monday, September the 17th. If you knew her you may have known her as "Mary Alice Gibson",one of the most interesting women of this world. She was 94 years old. It is always hard to lose someone dear to you no matter how well prepared you are. Mammaw has been preparing us for her death for as long as I can remember! I remember when I was young going to her house and her scurrying me off to the guest bedroom and clearing off this beautiful bed covered in yards and yards of any color, type, or size of yarn and saying "now Kara, when I die you will have this beautiful bed...your grandfather was born on this bed" EWWWW!! I thought, first , Ewww at the thought of someone being born in the bed, the second ewww of the thought that she was already planning her death!!! How strange!!! How morbid I thought, so out of character coming from a woman who is not at all negative .. Well, as I got older and she kept showing me all the the furniture I would receive when her day came, it was more clear to me that she was indeed going to die one day and that I will too. "Its the circle of life" she'd say. " Everyone dies, there is no need to waste your life away worrying about it. One day Kara, you'll accept it." Well, It is true,I have accepted it. That doesn't make it any easier though!!

Mom and Dad told me the news of her passing as soon as they heard. She had been in a nursing home for a few years but ....she would never be in a nursing home..she was a part of the nursing home! BIG DIFFERENCE!! Everyone knew who Mary Alice was! Her room was always full of people and when she felt good, she'd go down and play piano for everyone to enjoy...I always wished I had learned to play the piano! What a great gift to give people...music! Anyways, she was still as sharp as a blade! I mean she would tell me things about my dad when he was child up until the last time I spoke to her, which was a couple of weeks before now. She adored my dad, she really wanted me to know that! I can understand why..I adore him too!! All of the memories, all of the smells, smiles, her hands, her grey hair, her painted face..It all comes around. Avery Kathryn would have been her 13th great- grandchild. I know she wanted to stick around to see her. Avery will know about her though...She made her a blanket that I will wrap her up in as soon as I can. She she will be wrapped in her love, just as Mammaw would wrap me up in her arms when I was young. The circle of life is so interesting. We are born, we have one chance to live our lives to the fullest. That's what Mammaw did. She absolutely lived her life to the very fullest. In a conversation we had the last time we spoke, I vowed to her that I will not waste one day of my life...and I won't! I won't waste one hug, one smile,one kiss,or one person in my life! I love you Mammaw and I will miss you, but I will remember you and your spunk for life. And even more, I will pass it on to every one I can. -K

Hold the Mayo!!!

That's right! I think I am the only pregnant person who has to continue to diet while preggers! Its not like I've been indulging in fast food or fried chicken, but I haven't been as careful as I usually am with my diet. I went to the Dr.'s yesterday and found that I gained another 4 lbs!! Whoa!!! I am now up to 18 lbs. I'm due in December so.... I still have a while to go! My Dr. says my baby is BIG told me to keep in mind that I have to deliver her!!! She is concerned that I may have gestational diabetes but I don't think so. I think I've just been laying on the sauce lately so... time to cut back!!!! BOO. No more low fat mayo,a habit i have picked up during pregnancy, frozen yogurt for dessert, bagels etc.... I am scheduled for the usual 28 week glucose testing on Monday so keep your fingers crossed. Only 8 out of 100 women get it so I'm pretty sure I'm in the clear!!

Only Happy Thoughts Please!

Whats with women over the age of 50 feeling like they have to tell you the worst pregnancy stories when a person is pregnant?? At first I just let it slide. The number 1 thing I was bombarded with was " I only gained 9 lbs when I was pregnant" Or " don't forget, you don't want to gain too much weight, when I was pregnant I only gained....." UGGG!! Alright already! I realize I am laying on the lbs! Ive gained 14 lbs, I'm 6 months preggers, my Dr is cool with it OK??? Trust me, I know how much I've gained in more detail than you do... I see myself naked!!!! LOL!

That died off after around 18 weeks and the horror delivery stories began. "I was in labor for 25 hours and no epidural or any pain medication" " I pushed for a straight 10 hours until i passed out" I have heard every terrible scenario you could possibly imagine!!!! Oh this is my favorite " I had a C-Section and the epidural didn't work so I had to endure ALL of the pain!!!" THEN Its "you should have your baby natural, epidurals are selfish" WHAT?? Just today a person who shall remain nameless told me (age 62, I might note) ," you make sure you feel that baby move every hour, my friend gave birth to a still born just 3 years ago and there was no apparent reason" WHY WOULD YOU TELL A PREGNANT PERSON THAT???? I came home and whipped out my fetal monitor ( i got from babybeats.com) and feverishly searched for her heart beat then I counted to make sure it was fast enough, adn then I checked again! 140 BPM WHEW!!! Then I cried my eyes out! As if pregnancy isn't worrisome enough! PLEASE!! Stop with the stories people! I have made the conscious decision today that I will not listen to anymore of it! Only happy thoughts please!!!

OK! Sorry.... I really got a lot out there!! Anybody else experience this or am I the only lucky one??? ~K

Belly Update

Wow what a difference 4 weeks can make! Let me refresh your memory:

20 weeks

24 weeks

I just happened to have the same pants on here! ;-)

Pics from Chattanooga

Hillman and I hiking on lookout mountain.

YUMMMMM! One of our many desserts! Time to hit the trails again!!

Sittin' on the top of a mountain..WEEE!! OK, I'm getting down now!!!

The Aquarium

Just us!

Maternity Clothes in Action

The Glam Fam!

My belly is still growing (23weeks)

Ok, Well this one is just for fun! Wasn't I a chunky monkey!!!

Maternaty Clothes Shopping

So... I cannot fit into any of my regular clothes anymore, no matter how hard i squeeze into them, they just wont fit! NOT only in my belly...no, you know I cant just be one of those cute mommas who only gain weight through their midsection! Yeah right! I have gained it EVERYWHERE!!! First, it started with my butt expanding, no biggy, I'll just where my fat jeans, then my arms, oohhh.. that's a tough one to hide! Then my thighs (inner and outer) Fat jeans are getting snug, THEN my belly, I got away with wearing this little belly band, it acts like a rubber band around your waist so you can wear your breeches with out buttoning them. Question, why did I have to wait until pregnancy to find these little miracles??? I could have been using these A LONG time ago, you know when you over eat,your so stuffed you have no room in your pants for another bite??? Just slip on of these suckers on, your good for dessert!! LOL!!!ANYWAY. I have a wedding to go to this weekend so it was time to do the maternity clothes shopping, I couldn't very well go in gym shorts and my husbands over- sized T, which has been the basis of my wardrobe for the last 3 weeks or so... So we did it, I knew I could count on my Mom to help me through this! We hit the maternity store. I tried on dresses that made a fat cow look skinny standing next to me! I thought i was going to CRY! "do you mean I have to look like Maggie MOO for the next 3 months?? CRAP!!!" Finally, with the help of my patient and logical (compared to me) Mom, we got a few pieces of clothing that doesn't make me want to start grazing in the grass and mooing!!! Thanks Mom! I can always count on you tho help me shop!

PS- My family is calling my baby bump the "baby GUT" Geezzee thanks alot... MOOO" LOL Smootches! ~K

Here comes the BELLY!!!

Ok, So i though it would be fun to post the changes to my body. Now, you can see by belly expand. Here we go! Its starting to pop out now. I have to wear clothes that fit loose around the midsection, I have had to remove all drawstrings from my workout shorts! I am almost 20 weeks here...

Meet Avery Kathryn...

OH MY GOODNESS!! ITS A.........

Cute little itty bitty.......GIRL! YES! We are SOO excited! Hillman has two boys so he is really excited to be having a little girl too. We have picked out the name, I will let you know what that is as soon as i upload the pictures for you of the ultrasound! It was sooo awesome to see her moving around her hands were by her little face, she was very active. two hands two feet, all vital organs were present! AMAZING! I am really loving this process. When the ultrasound tech said we were having a girl I looked over at Hillman and we both got a little teary eyed. I said "baby!! we're going to have a daughter" I had a little puddle on my pillow of tears when it was all over. Stay tuned for pics and a baby name! ~Kara

Boxing baby!

He he, this is funny to me. I have been feeling the baby move more and more lately. Last night i was trying to read a book ("One for the Money" by Janet Evanovich) and baby Mann was just punching away at my stomach! But this morning, I taught a sculpting class followed by a cycling class and about half way through sculpt, I felt this "tap, taptaptap, thud, flutter flutter, flutter thud ,thud tap, tap ,tap. It was so funny, I think baby Mann is practicing kickboxing!!!! This subsided for the last 10 minutes of class then started up again 30 minutes later when i got positioned on my bike. Tap, tap , THUD, flutter, flutter flutter! LOL! I have a kickboxer! I'm afraid of what it will feel like when baby Mann is more that 5.5 inches long! LOL! ~Kara

Baby Mann's in motion!

Ok, so baby Mann has probably always been in motion but...I can feel him now!! YAY! He is moving around like crazy. I can feel him ( I'll call him "him", cause today, I think I'm having a boy.) It feels like a muscle twitch sometimes and other times it feels like little butterflies! Its so amazing! I am so excited to see the ultrasound on the 12Th!

I really have no idea what I'm having , some mom's say, " oh, i just knew all along what it was" not me! It changes from day to day! Today, I feel like its a boy, tomorrow may be a different story! LOL!

I keep dreaming about taking care of little animals. Kittens, puppies, baby birds, and so on. I was reading in my 17th week "what to expect this week" emails and it said " Having strange, vivid dreams lately? Are they about baby animals? That's totally normal for this time in your pregnancy." I kid you not! How bizarre!! So far I'm a pretty text book pregnancy! I hope it stays that way!

Have a great holiday! Love you all! ~K

I have to pee...AGAIN!!

Ok so now i am faced with the lovely pregnancy curse of the never emptied bladder! I really didn't have this problem early in my pregnancy as some people do, I thought i may have been lucky enough to bypass this curse all to gether. NO SUCH LUCK!! I have to pee all the time. During the day its manageable , you know when i have to pee i have to pee NOW but at night... at night it's ridiculous! I have to get up and pee every freaking hour! I know you all are thinking, Ok Kara, that's a little more than i wanted to know but, it is seriously controlling my life! LOL!

Also my craving now is frozen stuff! I mean stuff like pop sickles, frozen fruit, slushies, icees, smoothies oh my! I freeze my water, sometimes i mix koolaid in it, key word FROZEN! Oh yeah! Its heaven! Love you all, thanks for reading! ~K

July 12th

The big day is a month away! Yes! July 12th we will know the sex of our baby! Anybody want to make a guess??? Unless the little tike is crossing their legs and hiding their private parts (that would be my luck). I hope everything will be ok and I am so excited to see this little miracle on the ultrasound screen.

Also...Little baby Mann's heart beat was 147 beats per minute! I got in trouble about my heart rate though! I am not to get my heart rate above 150 bpm these days!! That's pretty difficult lately, I am in the 130-140's after warm up. I gave up my higher impact classes....;-( Nichole...I know you'll treat the right!! KICK THEIR TAILS!!) But its alright! Anything for my baby!!

I gained 4.5 lbs so that makes 5 lbs so far!! I'm " right on track" according to Dr Blake even though I feel like a fat cow! MOOOOO!

Just thought i would give you all an update! Love you! ~Kara

Must give props to my husband!!

I must give props to my husband because last weekend he rode his road bike all the way up to Mount eagle and back with the Tour De Cure. 150miles. Oh yeah! I am so proud of him especially since he really hasn't spent a lot of time in the saddle recently! Besides teaching spin and his occasional bike outings, so naturally..I was a little concerned! He did a fantastic job! I of coarse wanted to be right there by his side huffing and puffing up that steep climb and back down, but we decided that since i have a history of being a little unsteady on my road bike, it was in the baby's best interest that i sit this one out too! I honestly don't know if I would have been able to make it up there with out a little push! ;-) Anyway as always, I am so proud and amazed at what Hillman can do. He inspires me in every way. I love you babe! ~Kara

Rest Peacefully Andy Gordon

I recently received an email from a dear friend telling Hillman and I some very sad news. Andy Gordon, a St. John resident, passed away May 20th while sleeping peacefully. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma and was in pain for 5 months prior with no diagnosis. 3 days prior to his death he was given his diagnosis. Hillman and I became friends with Andy and his lovely wife Dori in a very important time in our lives, our marriage. We stayed at Andy and Dori's incredible" peace of heaven" on the island of St. John in the U.S.Virgin Islands. They have a very unique home where they rent part of it to visitors and live in the rest. It is call Calabash Views. It is located on Calabash Boom and overlooks the beautiful waters of St. John. This is not just your typical vacation rental, this is a home in which Andy built with his own hands. When Hillman and I went to the island to get married, we did not expect to take away such a special friendship, one in which we will always cherish. Andy was a very talented musician and he was very passionate in his studies in all sorts of sciences. He was a very unique person, I guarantee, there is no one on this earth like him. I wish I was able to know him better but I feel very fortunate to have gotten to know him in the short time I stayed in his "piece of heaven". Please everyone keep Dori, his wife, and all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers while they try to make sense of this. Andy was only 53 years old. Thank you Andy and Dori for the unforgettable experience you gave Hillman and I at St. John, and for your special friendship. Andy will be missed very much. This is a piece of the email Dori sent to Hillman and I. She is such a special person, I think you'll see that here.

"But as this very email shows, life & death, birth & the cycle go round and round, round and round. It all seems so fast. Enjoy every moment my young ones. Enjoy every moment.
May your lives be filled with the joys of a baby's cry for its mama, and may you dance to the tune of Joy."

Every time I read this, my eyes fill with tears. ~Kara

Pants getting tighter, boobs STILL getting bigger

Whew! I am in my 13th week now. I am ready to start tossing my skinny jeans in pure anger and frustration cause now... there is absolutely no hope of squeezing back into them! BOO! I am out growing my "big girl" jeans and pants. I still do not look pregnant. I just look like i am putting on some extra baggage. Looks like i have thrown out all non-processed, nutrient dense foods and dove into fast food and doughnuts! I boobs are out of control! I have literally gone from a lovely size A cup to a enormous size D cup! AHHH! Try teaching aerobics with these jugs! I have to strap them down with TWO heavy duty sports bras and I'm still wincing every time i do a jumping jack in fear of a black eye!!! I try to have a pep talk with the girls " OK, lets pace ourselves, we still have a little over 6 months to go" but no luck. The girls don't listen!! At least i have lost my insane cravings for totally fattening foods (for the most part). My diet is much better, not back to normal mind you ,Oatmeal makes me turn and run for the bathroom , and real oatmeal and peanut butter was my breakfast of champions for years until i got preggers, but other than that, I'm feeling good. I got to hear the heartbeat a couple of weeks ago which was reassuring. Its so fast. I told Hillman and my DR. " oh, my baby's nervous" they laughed at me for obvious reasons. Oh well, that's all for now. ~K

Catchin' up with old friends

I am so blessed to still be connected to my friends that i grew up with. Lenora and I are best friends and we have been for so many years, lets see...15+years. Because of myspace, I have been able to reconnect with dozens of friends that i would have otherwise probably NEVER see again. Last Saturday, A good friend Vicki, had us all over for food and laughs. We broke out old notes, yearbooks and just really caught up. Everyone looks so good. Tiffany just had a baby and she looks fabulous as usual! She always did look great, Vicki is such a true person. She never changed that. She lives in a beautiful home and is married to a very good person, she seem so content with her life and that is so refreshing. Mandy , she still has that aura that makes everyone want to be around her. She is beautiful and so kind, happy and open. Lenora, well, she has grown so much. Lenora has continued to be a large part in my life for many many years and now...she will be an auntie to our child! Love you girl! In fact, I love ALL of you girls, If you read this know that you are all so important to me. Thanks for all the wonderful memories! ~K

Taming The Inner Pig

OK. When i am not heaving, which is becoming less and less (Thank God) I am like this...Full, Full, Full, Full, HUNGRY!!!!!! I mean when I'm hungry there is no waiting, no drinking water to see if it will pass, no chewing gum to curb the hunger pangs, no eating just a few crackers, NO, I must eat NOW! And usually alot! I am craving starchy foods that i never usually eat like cheese crackers, corn bread, mac and cheese, Fast food ( I haven't indulged in this yet),breads, SWEET POTATOES, I mean it's insane. Ice cream, I cant get enough! Low fat of course but still! A calorie is a calorie and trust me, Its going straight for my butt and thighs, oh and mid section! I am afraid to get on the scale to assess the damage! I think it's too late for damage control! Oh my! Taming my inner PIG is not as easy as it use to be for sure. My poor aerobics class participants are helping me make up for it by GRUELING workouts! Sorry guys, you know that's why you come to me anyways! ;-) So...moral of this story? Don't try to tame the inner pig when your a crazy, hungry pregnant woman, just go with it, and kick your ass with exercise! More walking lunges anyone??? ~K

Oh Dear!

I just got finished with the toughest semester EVER! Now I am taking a maymester class! AHHH!!! No brakes people! Its First aid and CPR so its not too bad...Be Well. ~K

Country Music Marathon

I just wanted to take a minute and write about the CMM. It was last Saturday, the 28th. I was going to run it but due to my pegnancy sickness, I had not been able to keep my mileage up, so I decided to for-go the event!It KILLED ME! I was going to run the half but I ended up on the side line cheering on my buddys and all of the other brave souls out there running. I went with my good friend Jerri Ann, who has done this race a couple of time and has completed a ridiculas amount of half and full marathons herself. She knew exactly where to go to watch. I cried when we saw everyone out there running, one reason...I am an emotional wreck thank to my pregnancy hormones but mostly because i wanted to be running too. It killed me not to be out there sweating and finishing with the rest of the runners. I got to see my husband twice which is amazing concidering there were 32,000 folks running it. I also saw my training buddy Stacey at mile 9. THey all rocked it! I was so proud of them. H. finished in 2.01 and Stacey right behind him at 2.03(i think). I love you guys and ill be there next year even if i have to push a stroller! Although Im sure my mom and dad will help me that day with the little one! Be Well...

 

Runnin' to beat the blues

So i was preggers here, I ran this race and started getting cramps! I was so pissed b/c about a mile into it i had to slow down cause i just couldn't keep my usual pace. I was so mad at my "pre-menstral"body slapping limitations on me!! Little did I know, It was baby telling me to slow the heck down! My good friend Stacey beat me that day, as most days she races with me, she's freakin' FAST but..she is not in my age group so...thats ok. We both placed 1st in our age group and Hillman placed 2nd. Now i tell Stacey...No wonder you beat me! I was Preg-o! We both know she would have beat me anyways! ;-) I am happy that my last 5k pre- baby, i still managed to squeeze first place out of it! Running is GOOD for the soul! Yes indeed!!!

My first Blog

Ok, so everyone is blogging these days! I might as well join the club... I'm glad to of coarse! ;-) I must fill you in on my life up to this point....ok..not everything. Today, I just finished the worst semester ever! I took on way too much this semester...18 hours of upper division coarses. It totally kicked my tail! Thats alright, I got through it with out killing my GPA! whew! I am almost finished with school, It will be pushed back just a tad because I am PREGNANT, yes its true. 8 Weeks...5 days preggers. I am due December 9th. My hubby and i are so excited! I will be blogging about this and i must worn you!! I am blunt, so know that before you start reading. ;-).

I am an aerobics instructor, and personal trainer and I intend to continue teaching throught out my pregnancy, I will be letting you know how that goes for sure! I am married a great man who makes me happier than i ever realized i could be. YAY! Ok, thats all im going to fill you in on now keep posted. Be Well!