NOW we're ready!

My heart is full of joy!  There are many reasons for my joy-filled heart... Christmas was magical with family and friends, my hubby and I got to spend five days together without thinking about work, AND.. I am STILL pregnant!!  

Let me explain.  When I found out that my due date was January 6, I remember feeling concerned with how close it was to Christmas.  

Obviously, I know that no matter when she is born (early, on-time, late), it will be in the Lord's perfect timing and I fully trust in that.  However, I have a deep desire for her to have her own special day and not have to share it with a big holiday, like Christmas!  

I have been joking that if contractions started on Christmas Eve or Day, I would just hold my legs together very tightly.  Luckily, I didn't have to test this out (I'm guessing it would have probably failed miserably!!)

So, here we are.  December 26 and ready to go anytime.  I have a feeling that she isn't coming for a little while though.  I have zero signs of "things progressing".  So, we will wait.  Although, I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable, it's okay.  I am fortunate enough to be on maternity leave and I don't have much on my agenda that I HAVE to do.  What a blessing!

Hope your Christmas was lovely and joy-filled.  

The Epic Story of the Fireplace

Sometimes, good things take TIME!  And sometimes, it's hard to wait!  But, always, in the end, it's absolutely, completely, no doubt about it, WORTH IT.  

We are lucky enough to have a home with two fireplaces.  We both wanted a home with a fireplace, but when we found our dream home and it had two fireplaces... well, that was just the icing on the cake.  

However, the living room fireplace did not fit our style.  Not even close.  It wasn't the type of thing where we could add pretty decor and make do.  We knew right away, that we would eventually do something different with it.  

When we decided to move in with my parents for seven months and do a complete remodel of the house, we decided that it would be best to take down the massive rock wall.  We realized that if we didn't do it now, it might not happen for a very long time, if ever!  

Here is day one of starting to take it down.  We are guessing that one day, our kids will say, "Dad!!  Why did you get rid of this!?  We could have used it as a rock climbing wall!"  

                        Taking the rocks and concrete down was quite the process!  

When we brought the rock and concrete remains to the construction recycling center, it weighed 3,000 pounds!  

Nick and my Dad patched the wall above the fireplace and closed up the yellow, rectangular windows on either side.  In the meantime, we were working days, nights, and weekend to finish everything else in the house (kitchen, bathroom, floors, baseboards, paint, you name it!)  

We started looking into hiring out for the fireplace because we were so exhausted by this phase of the house remodel.  We had a couple quotes for stone casting and we promptly decided that a $5,500 fireplace was not what we were wanting to spend our money on!  

This is when the waiting came into play.  We made the decision to put the fireplace on hold, and finish it at a later date.  For me, it was a hard decision because I really wanted to move into a house that was done.  At first it was hard to see that big hole in the wall because it was a constant reminder that there was still a lot of work to be done.  

Luckily, I have a sweet husband who thought of a great solution.  He covered it up with a lovely cardboard fire.  This kept me quiet for a little bit.

Within a few months, we saved enough money and were ready to tackle the project.  Unfortunately, we had no clue what we wanted to do!  So, we just waited some more.  We looked at hundreds of fireplaces online and started dreaming of what we wanted.  

After a few months, we picked out a tile and started to frame the box.  

Nick built.  I watched.  

He amazes me.  I am blown away with how handy and creative he is.  I wouldn't even know where to begin with a project like this... even if I had instructions!

He worked on the box on nights and weekends; it took a couple of months until it was completed.  There were a couple of snags along the way... gotta love those learning experiences!

Once the box was built, he finished piping the gas.  

Our good friend, Peter, spent his entire Sunday helping Nick to lay down the concrete inside the fireplace.  

After the concrete was finished, Nick painted the tan bricks inside with a fireproof black paint.  

And, eventually, it was finished!!  It turned out exactly how we had hoped.  We wanted a simple, yet elegant design.  Clean lines, no frills.  Modern, yet not cold.  Did I mention that we absolutely love it??  

The final step in order to have it be officially "complete" are the fake logs.  We are currently on the hunt for the perfect set of "fake logs"!

The best part?  Well, there are actually two best parts.  It is finished BEFORE baby arrives... hooray!!  Secondly, it's finished just in time for Christmas!  This means I have two mantles to decorate!  Woohoo!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of our fireplace.  It was a long process, but looking back on it, I think it was a really good process.  It forced us (me) to be patient and wait for something that we really wanted done right.  

Cheers to many years of warm fires and toasty evenings in our living room!

Oh Baby!

Here is my 34 week update (a couple weeks late.. sorry!)  It's hard to believe how close we are getting to my due date!  Baby continues to grow and is very active!  

We have been keeping busy on the home front by getting ready to welcome our sweet girl.  We have been busy setting up the nursery, getting ready to sell my car (hello, Mom Mobile), nesting (my cupboards have never been so organized), and doing loads and loads of baby laundry.  


We've also been going on more dates lately.  We figure it might be a little more difficult to get out the house for awhile once the baby arrives, so we are soaking up extra "us" time now!  

Although things have been busy, it's exciting and fun to anticipate the biggest life change that either of us have ever gone through.  Both Nick and I feel ready to meet our girl and start this new chapter of life.

Oh baby!  I'm sporting quite the belly these days!  The sight of my belly never gets old.  Each day when I see it, I'm in awe of the miracle that my body is growing.  It's absolutely incredible that our body can stretch and mold in order to support a precious life.  Can't wait to meet her!

Just the Three of Us

A few weeks ago we took maternity photos!  I wanted to take pregnancy photos so that one day our little girl can look back on photos while I was pregnant with her.  I have often wished that my Mom had more photos of when she was pregnant with me.  

We had a lot of fun doing the shoot and I am thrilled with the way they came out.  Don't worry, no bare belly photos!  Not my style!!

For Momma....

For Daddy....

I wonder which ones she will prefer...?!

Thankful

We have a lot to be thankful for this year!

We have amazing families, fabulous friends, stable jobs that we both enjoy, a beautiful home that we adore, and a sweet baby girl on the way!  Blessed is the word that comes to mind.

I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving with your loved ones tomorrow! 

Life in Photos

I scrolled through my photo album on my phone tonight and had fun seeing all the random photos that have been taken this past month.  

I thought I would share our life lately through these random shots.  

Dad listening intensely (while holding the dummy baby) in our Newborn Care class.

 My students are in love with my growing belly (some more than others).  My belly gets rubbed all day long.  I always thought that having my belly rubbed would be so strange and maybe even offensive, but I have decided that I actually like it!  It is especially sweet when it's from my first graders!

I am loving all the fun onesies and adorable outfits.  I have a feeling that when Nick dresses her, this particular onesie will be a favorite! 

My baby sister, Emily, loves holding my belly and waiting for jab, kicks, and movement.  I love that she loves Baby Girl so much already!   

Can't wait for April-October!  Our girl will be our own personal Giants cheerleader!  She also has Giants onesies, headbands, bows, and hats!  

Whenever Nick puts his hand on my belly, she kicks almost instantly.  I guess you can be a Daddy's girl before you even leave the womb!!  

It's hard to believe that in a mere 55 days (give or take a few) we will have a little girl in our arms!  I can pretty much bet that every photo in my photo album will be of her!!

30 Weeks!

The official countdown had begun!  We have 9 weeks and 2 days left until Baby Girl Klaus will be here!  It's amazing how time is flying by these days.  

I had to rummage through my Halloween bin to find something that would actually fit me this year.... appropriately fit me, that is.  My choices were: Black cat, Cinderella (er.. knocked-up Cinderella), Bat Girl (this outfit looked extremely inappropriate considering it is VERY short in the front due to my bump), and cowgirl.  Black cat beat the others due to the nature of my job.  Although, I do have to admit, pregnant Cinderella was extremely tempting!

          (This was at the end of the day, so excuse my half falling off tail!)

Things are going well and we feel blessed that Baby Girl is growing rapidly and staying active!  She definitely has her own schedule and it's been fun to try to figure it out.  When I am working, she is VERY quiet.  She must be intrigued or soothed by listening to my 22 first graders' chatter and laughter.  However, as soon as 3:00p.m. rolls around, and it's just her and I in the classroom, she starts kicking up a storm!  It amazes me every time!  It's as though she knows it's a good time to come out and play!

Nick and I have been busy taking classes in order to prepare for baby.  This month we have taken a Newborn Care and a Mid-pregnancy course.  We got to listen to a pediatrician and nurse talk all about the first few weeks and what to expect once we bring baby home.  This month we are taking a breastfeeding course, late pregnancy course, and childbirth (Lamaze-style) course.  

Hard to believe that next year at this time we will be dressing up our 10 month old for Halloween!  Can't wait!

Showered with Love

I can't believe how quickly my pregnancy is flying by now!  The first 20 weeks felt SLOW.  The fact that I was nauseous and exhausted probably didn't help.  Now that I feel great and normal, the weeks seem to be going faster and faster!

We only have 75 days until Baby Girl makes her grand debut (plus or minus a few..)!  Now that I am in the third trimester home stretch, the fun begins!  We are putting together (well, actually just starting) the nursery, shopping for decor, and the best part... having baby showers!  

My sweet co-workers put on a joint shower for my friend Jenn and I last week.  I was so blessed by their kindness and thoughtful gifts.  Let's just say that our daughter is going to be well dressed!  I feel so thankful to work with a great group of people!

This past Sunday, my Mom and sisters threw me a beautiful baby shower with our family and friends.  I was blown away with their attention to detail, creativity, and all the time and energy they put into the whole day.  

Thank you Mom (the mastermind behind the day), Dad (the bartender and token male), Cristina (the amazing baker), and Emily (the gal behind all the decorations)!  

                                            I'm not expressive AT ALL.  Nope.  Not me ;)  

                                              But really, how adorable is that peacoat?!

The shower was a day full of laughter!   The best story of the day is by far the story of "The Bouncers".  

One of the places I am registered at is Target.  I am not sure what was going on with Target's registry that weekend, but there were some glitches in the system!  For whatever reason, the system was not "registering" when people bought gifts.  

As a result, I received not one, not two.... but FIVE bouncer seats!  It makes for a hilarious story and the pictures capturing my face are fantastic.  Maybe I should keep all five and just have a bouncer in every room of our house?!  Luckily, my registry is now fixed and I am good to go in the area of bouncers!!

                                                                     Bouncer #1

                                                                       Bouncer #2

                                                                           Bouncer #3

                                                                  Bouncer # 5 

                 (missing a photo of number four, but I think you get the idea!!)

Thank you to everyone who came and made my day so memorable and special.  I am thankful for all the lovely people in my life and I can't wait to introduce our little girl to each of you!  She already has such fabulous people in her life!

26 Weeks!

It's hard to believe how quickly time is going by now!  I am currently 26 weeks pregnant and feeling great!  Baby Girl is active and kicks a lot; her favorite time to play in the womb is around 9:00p.m. (bedtime), and 6:15a.m. (wakeup time)!  I wonder if that pattern will continue once she is born... hmmm?!

Nick and I are busy planning the nursery and rearranging areas of the house to make room for baby.  The last few days, I have had a sudden urge to clean, organize, and plan the nursery.  The urge to clean is fabulous.  I hope it never goes away!

Last weekend, we spent some time in San Diego for a friend's birthday and explored around town.  It was a mini-babymoon for us!  It's wild to think that the next time we take a trip we will either have a baby in tow, or be so thankful for grandma and grandpa blessing us with babysitting!  

                                                          Beach bump picture!

Only 95 days left until we meet our sweet thumb-sucking daughter!  CAN'T WAIT!!

22 Weeks!

Well, well!  Somebody has been swamped and has fallen behind in updates!  Fear not, I have an excellent reason why this tragedy has occurred.  

It's called AUGUST.  22 amazing, sweet, new first graders entered my life!  I have fallen in love all over again and become engrossed in my work.  Combine that with weekend birthday parties, weddings, friends, family, sore achy feet around 6:00p.m., and doctor's appointments..... and you have the perfect recipe for a lack of blogging.  

I had the best of intentions.  See Exhibit A for proof:

                                                                      Exhibit A

I made this the first week that school started (3 weeks ago).  Unfortunately, that was as far as I got.  

Well, that's enough of my "I feel guilty for not updating, and I am trying to convince you that I have very legitimate reasons...." rant.  

Things are getting exciting around the Klaus House!  Now that we know we are having a girl, we have entered into dreaming and planning mode!  I have been thinking about nursery ideas and slowly, but surely building my registry.  Nick has been talking about how awesome and well-rounded our little girl will be.  She'll be sweet and kind, while at the same time, in love with Batman and all the things her Daddy will teach her about.  He is going to teach her how to change her oil (Note: Her Momma doesn't even know how to do this) and have self-defense skills.  

My pregnancy is going great.  I feel relatively normal (beside the belly).  I feel great during the day and have energy!  By the end of the day, I am quite exhausted, but that's generally the case after a long day at work.  Baby Girl has been kicking for a few weeks now.  I love feeling each and every jab... it reminds me that she is growing, active, and well.  

22 weeks down and only 18 to go!  

P.S.-- She already LOVES her Batman rain boots.  

IT'S A.......

The big day finally arrived!!!  We had been counting down the days until the big gender reveal ultrasound.  

It took the ultrasound technician no time at all to determine the gender because our little one was a big wiggle worm!!  Baby was very active... and the only sugar I had eaten all day was a nectarine hours before.  Maybe it was excited that we were checking it out and it was showing us all it's new tricks like bending joints and waving??  

Well, the big moment came and we found out that it is a....

                                    GIRL!!!!!!!!

We are so excited to have a daughter!  She already has captured both of our hearts and we can't wait to meet her!  

We were having a dinner party at our house that evening, so we decided to throw in a little "gender reveal" portion as well!  

Note: To all of you who have been asking why I have been waiting so long to tell you the gender (the ultrasound was on Monday), I have a great answer.  It was really important to us to tell both of our parents in person!  We have since done so (balloons with my family and cupcakes with pink frosting inside for Nick's family)!  Sorry about the lag time ;)