What a difference 6 weeks makes!

Today at 23 weeks vs 17 weeks....baby (and mommy) is GROWING!!!

22 weeks!

I had my 22 week appointment yesterday an everything looks great!!! My doctor measured me for the first time and I'm right on track for a late August baby! The heartbeat was strong (and LOUD), 140 beats/minute...and Dr. Garrett got to experience firsthand the activity of this little one! She got a pretty good kick as soon as she put the monitor on my belly : )  I'm still feeling great and pretty excited that I've been able to start jogging again- up until now it was incredibly uncomfortable but I think now that the baby is farther up, it has relieved some of that pressure. We'll see how long it lasts but I'm thankful for at least a few weeks of some good jogs.

This is just cute : )

We were sitting on the deck last week and I went inside to get something...when I came back out, this is what I found:

I guess my chair looked more comfortable than laying on the deck!

Nursery progress has begun!

We have started getting the nursery ready!! We have the yellow paint up (the bottom half will be gray bead-board), and I'm about halfway done with the bedskirt! Here are a couple pics of the beginnings of our modern, gender-neutral, hip nursery : ) I included one of my GPhiB girls out in Chicago last weekend as well! Belly pics coming soon....

Half-baked!!

20 weeks

So we are officially halfway through this pregnancy!! Sort of scary to think about how much we still have to do to prepare : O I'm feeling great, thankful that the weather has been so great so I can be outside walking a lot (Lucy is thankful too!) This baby is ACTIVE....Spencer has started to be able to feel the kicking a couple times a day, and I normally don't go 20 minutes without getting a little kick, nudge or headbutt from this peanut!! We're headed to Chicago this coming weekend to catch up with some college friends so I'll post more pictures next week. Spencer also wanted me post the pic of the nearly finished laundry room cabinets...just trim and hardware and we're done!! Uncle Jim would be so proud : )

Birthday #28

We celebrated with some friends and family last night at Scotty's...I have to say, this is probably the first alcohol-free birthday celebration I've had in ten years!! Thank goodness my friends are great at making up for my soberness ; ) I experienced THREE, yes THREE interesting renditions of "Happy Birthday!" I love you guys!

Group shot

Sisters

The girls

Not sure about the look on my face but this was the only belly-shot I have!!

18 week ultrasound!

So we had our 18 (and a half) week ultrasound on Friday...the one where they check all of the anatomy, genetic markers, and gender (NO, we did not give in to temptation!) Seeing our baby swim around was so amazing...I wish there was a more original word for it, but it truly was "amazing." Now I have to make a small confession...up until now, I've absolutely loved being pregnant but have to say I've been sort of preoccupied with fears of gaining weight, my body changing in ways I had no idea were possible, my skin looking crappy, my emotional outbursts and my lack of will power when it comes to kettle chips and Reese's Cups. I had some major guilt on Friday after getting the opportunity to watch our baby wiggle for almost 15 minutes (we had an amazing ultrasound tech!!) for being so worried about these things. People have said to me from the beginning: "Abby, don't worry about that stuff...you're growing a BABY," and until now, I never fully listened to them. I'M GROWING A REAL, LIVE, BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHY BABY! It feels great to really grasp this reality and to embrace these changes, knowing that I'm doing the best I can. Our little one is now 1/2 a pound and about 6 inches long and is measuring exactly on our due date, August 24th. The heartrate was 167, and all of the anatomy looked great (yes, nurse friends, a four-chambered heart and no signs of cleft palate, or masses.) I'm also feeling the baby kick- A LOT...Spencer hasn't been able to feel it from the outside world yet, but I think within a few weeks, he will be able to share in my amazement : ) Now onto the pictures....thanks for listening!!

Profile pic...if you look closely, with my tongue sticking out!

Nice and comfy...Indian style!

"Hi guys....I'm having a great time in here!"

New favorite recipe...

So for those of you who don't know, I love to cook and bake and am hoping to use my blog as a means to share recipes, as well as update you on the Kruse happenings!!
Here's my new favorite (I'm actually eating it right now)...it's actually a recipe from my friend Katie Rozelle. It's healthy and easy...BONUS!

Amish-baked Oatmeal

1 1/2 quick cooking oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (I prefer brown sugar, but white is fine too)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter (or you can use applesauce for a low cal option)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients and spread in greased 9 X 13 baking dish. Top with 1/2- 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, bananas, and apples are all great) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are brown. Immediately spoon into bowl and top with milk and brown sugar if desired.  ENJOY!

17 weeks and counting

17 week belly shot and my new toy!! So excited about getting started on the nursery bedding...wish me luck : )

4 months pregnant!

Just wanted to post an updated belly shot and some pics of the progress of Spencer's laundry room project...he just has to install the doors and trim and then he's finished! Next on the DIY project list...NURSERY! I've been feeling really great the past few weeks...thankful the weather has been warmer so I can be outside a little more and hoping spring (and my daffodils) are here to stay!!

14w3d

I had a doctor's appointment today and just wanted to give a quick update...everything looks great and we got to hear the heartbeat again!! It was 159 beats/minute and "strong"....what do you think, boy or girl?? Also wanted to include a photo of our first baby gift! Our friend Jim's grandmother knitted these teeny-tiny booties for us...hard to believe our baby is going to be this small : )

Wedding #1

We had our first (of 8) wedding of 2010 this weekend...here are a few pics! This is 13w4d...

Questions, questions, questions?!?!

So I've had a lot of people ask me a couple classic questions about this baby...thought I'd just get the answers out in the open. NO we are not finding out the sex!! The reaction to this question from some people really cracks me up- some people are horrified by this!! It sounds cheesy and cliche, but we really have no preference and we figure this could be one of the most exciting surprises we may ever get! Question # 2 then becomes: How are you going to decorate the nursery if you can't do pink or blue??? Before we even found out we were pregnant, we decided on colors that we wanted for a nursery. We're not really pink and baby blue people (which if you've ever been to our house, you probably realize this) so we decided on yellow and gray. We are going to do gray beadboard to about picture-rail height and then paint yellow above that. The furniture will all be white. I also am going to attempt to sew all of the crib bedding...I'm getting a new sewing machine for my birthday (thanks to Mom and Dad) and am excited to get started!! This way, I can use gorgeous designer fabric for about 1/4 of the price of bedding you buy at the store. Plus, it's sort of hard to find yellow and gray baby beddding!! Here are swatches of the fabrics I'm using...   

12 weeks

Do you believe me now, Mom?? Official bump at 12 weeks!! Of course, in anything but form-fitting tops, I still just look a little chubby ; )

SNOW DAY!

Hmmm...this could make running errands today a little tough!! Lucy has spent most of the morning with her face covered in snow pushing around a buried tennis ball...she can't get enough of this stuff : )

GO COLTS!!

At home before the Super-Bowl bash at Dave and Chris's...sad the Colts lost but loved spending the day with great friends! I will be 12 weeks pregnant in 2 days!!  PS: Anyone see the Google commercial?? So great!! I have to admit, I teared up...it's the pregnancy thing, right?!

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU

11 week belly

Still a pretty puny bump...but I'm proud of it!

Kumquat

Ultrasound at 10w3d

Disclaimer to all of my nurse friends: in the lower picture, the bubble-like sac is in fact the baby's brain; not a mass, tumor or cyst. Yes, I asked, and yes the size is normal!!

Look what I did!

Spencer built this workbench today for the garage...he's also working on custom cabinetry for our laundry room. Pics coming soon!

Ultrasound #3

We had an(other!) ultrasound this past Friday...my doctor didn't get great pictures with the last one, and since I don't get another one until 20 weeks, she wanted to make sure everything was okay. This baby is moving and shaking (future swimmer, possibly??) The ultrasound tech could hardly get our little one to hold still long enough to get a good picture. But she succeeded in getting a few good shots, and I was able to see the arms, legs, fingers and toes- so amazing!! Heart rate was 167 which the doctor said was perfect for 10 weeks. I posted the ultrasound pics, along with Spencer's weekend projects...working on building cabinets for the laundry room, building a workbench, and cleaning out the garage- Thank god! We also made a quick trip to Ft. Wayne on Friday for Spencer's mom's birthday...and were lucky enough to catch a Komets game- great win, Brandon!!