Impulse Buy

I have always prided myself on the fact that I am not an impulse buyer. However, there is something about Costco that causes me to lose my rational spending sense and buy the most unnecessary things. Giant dog bed for Eros, sure I will take it! Random Billabong hooded sweatshirt for $10.99, put it in the cart. Today’s trip was no different. As I walked in the store there was a box of GIANT teddy bears for $29.99. My cart was immediately drawn to them. They were so soft, so cute, so big, who could resist this deal??? Especially a pregnant woman looking for ways to decorate her babies nursery. Without much thought, the bear quickly went into my basket as I walked to the back of the store to purchase the cookies for tonight’s FRG meeting that were the reason for the trip.

It has been a few hours since the purchase, and with the bear sitting in Kyle’s nursery, I am very happy I made the decision to take him home with me. We don’t really have a nursery theme, it is more or less “things that Amy likes”. The mobile that came with the bedding has teddy bears hanging from it, so I suppose there is a bit of a bear theme going on. But I also bought this really cute alphabet canvas painting (possibly another impulse purchase) the other day with lots of different animals and colors on it. The bedding is sage green and cream and I also have some random cloth stars for above the crib. I will post pictures once everything is put together, but for now I leave you with a photo of the giant teddy bear.

As for an update on the pregnancy, I am 31 weeks and feeling good. Kyle is still moving around quite a bit, but his movements are much stronger these days. It no longer feels like a butterfly in my stomach. I can’t really think of a good way to describe it, other than it feels like a tiny human is swimming around in my belly. As my stomach grows bigger, I have been suffering from some indigestion and heartburn. I have to really watch what I eat and keep good posture while digesting or else my chest feels like a fire ball is going to explode. My back has been feeling pretty good these days and no other real aches and pains at the moment. I am praying that the discomfort stays at a minimum for now since I still have two months to go until my due date. I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. Don’t forget to take some time to think of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We are all truly blessed to live in such a wonderful country!

Itching to Run

I just walked in the door from taking Eros for his afternoon walk and got a major itch to go for a long run. It has been rainy and cloudy here for the past few days, but while we were walking the sun came out and the breeze was still. It was perfect weather for a run.

During this pregnancy, I felt too icky to run the first trimester and when I finally got my energy back in the second trimester, I felt too out of shape to run and was worried my heart rate would get too high for Baby Kyle, and now my belly is just too big for it to even be comfortable. And while I was huffing and puffing walking up the small hill to our house this afternoon, my legs were itching to pound the pavement. I miss that feeling you get after a really hard workout. My body is craving endorphins! With spring here and summer approaching, race season in Colorado is in full swing and I wish I could be out there running with my friends.

I would say that I have been moderately active during this pregnancy. I have been walking every day, hiking on the weekends with Matt and Eros, and doing yoga once a week, but it is hardly the workout routine my body is used to. I plan to be a fit mamma once Kyle is born, I can’t wait to get rid of this extra weight. However, I am slightly nervous about taking that first step. I will definitely be starting out at ground zero. I just have to remind myself that I started out barely being able to run 1 ½ miles around Clement Park lake near our house before I joined the Cross Country team in high school and by the end of my senior year I was a running 6 miles like it was no big deal.

In the meantime, I plan to start doing some swimming these last few months of pregnancy. I hear it is supposed to feel really good on your body and be a great prenatal workout. I will probably look into joining a water aerobics class, look out grandmas here I come.! What a far cry from my spin class and kick boxing days…haha :).

As I get ready to hit "publish" on this post the weather it is back to grey skies and pouring rain. All I want to do now is lay on the couch and watch a movie. Thanks God for making my itch to run go away. :)

Trail running in Hawaii

Busy Week!

I had hoped to write three separate posts by now, but life has been busy! So, I am going to split this update into three separate parts to cover everything I wanted to post about last week.

28 Week Appointment Update

Our 28 week appointment last Monday went well and Baby Kyle and I are both still growing right on schedule. The results of our gestational diabetes test were negative which is good news! My review of the “orange drink” is that it tastes like flat orange soda. Not terrible, but nothing I would ever voluntarily drink. My biggest complaint is that it gave me horrible indigestion the rest of the day. The most exciting part of the visit was the opportunity to tour the Labor and Delivery ward of the hospital. Lucky for us, Evans Army Medical Center just remodeled their Labor and Delivery ward last year so everything is brand new! I thought the rooms were beautiful and very spacious. It felt very clean and the nursing staff that we met that night was all very nice and helpful. We also looked at the recovery rooms you go to after you deliver the baby and they were very nice too! It is hard to believe in less than three months I will be checking in for the big event.

Change of Command

This is not a baby related update, but a pretty big event in Matt and I’s life at the moment so I figured I would post about it on the blog. Matt took Command of a Troop at work last week so he is now in charge of roughly 70 soldiers. This is a big milestone in an Army Officer’s career and I am very excited and proud of him! I know he is going to be a great Commander and his soldiers are lucky to have him leading them into this next deployment. In addition to being in charge of soldiers, Matt is also responsible for ensuring the families of the soldiers are taken care of and informed of news and events going on in the Unit, this is called the Family Readiness Group (FRG). I have taken on the role of the FRG leader for the troop to support Matt and am looking forward to working with the families. There is a lot of work ahead of us to get things up and running with the FRG, but Matt and I make a good team and hopefully we will have things organized before Baby Kyle arrives.

They Army is full of traditions so when you do a Change of Command they hold a ceremony to honor the previous Commander’s accomplishments and service to the troop and to welcome the incoming Commander and his family. The ceremony was held on a beautiful Colorado day and Matt’s parents and aunt and uncle were able to attend making it an extra special day. Matt and I hosted a reception for all the solders in attendance afterward, and thanks to Subway’s catering service, it turned out great!

Happy Mother’s Day

One of the perks to being stationed in the same state as your family is the opportunity to spend days like Mother’s Day with your family. We enjoyed a wonderful day and got to see all the special mom’s in our life. Ever since being pregnant I have had a whole new respect for moms. It is hard work making a baby and I have not even experienced the parenting part. I am extremely lucky to have three “moms” who have fulfilled my life in different ways. I would not be the person I am today without their love and support! Thanks Mom, Carrie, and Shannon for all you do! Baby Kyle is one lucky boy to have such amazing grandmas looking out for him.

This was also a special Mother’s Day for me because I am very close to becoming a mommy myself, and my family made me feel so special. It was pretty awesome because I got to enjoy all the perks without having the baby :). Matt and Eros treated me to a prenatal massage and pedicure at the Broadmoor Spa. It was so relaxing and just what I needed after a busy week!

Well that pretty much wraps up the past week. Lots of fun and exciting things going on these days. The first week of May flew by and I am hoping the rest of the month goes just as fast.

A Royal Feast

Matt and I had bunch at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs this morning and it was delicious! For those unfamiliar with the Broadmoor, it is a five star luxury hotel located up against Cheyenne Mountain. It us unlike most hotels I have stayed in, the decor has a very regal feeling to it, and the grounds are immaculate.


During March Madness, Matt and I did a bracket competition between the two of us and the winner got to choose where we would go out for a date. I won, and quickly decided that I needed to try Sunday brunch at the Boradmoor. We had heard nothing but rave reviews from friends who have gone and I will now add my recommendation to anyone looking for a delicious brunch. The other great thing about the Broadmoor is the customer service, they really do make you feel like royalty from the moment you step out of your car. I think Matt and I may need to spend a night there for our “Babymoon” later this summer.

Anyway, after three trips back to the buffet line, my stomach told me it was time to stop. I will probably weigh an extra five pounds at my 28 week doctor’s appointment tomorrow but it will be well worth the extra weight. I think Baby Kyle enjoyed the meal as well, as he was kicking around quite a bit after I finished eating. It was also nice to go on a date with Matt. We have been so busy with family and Army functions these past few months that we have not made much time to go out to eat just the two of us. We will definitely have to remember to make date night time for each other once Baby Kyle gets here, thank goodness for lots of grandparents close by!

Like I said above, I have my 28 week appointment tomorrow. This is the appointment where I take the glucose test for gestational diabetes. I have heard mixed things about the “orange drink” you have to chug before they draw your blood. I will let you all know how it goes. Keep us in your thoughts for good results.

Finally an updated photo of the bump at 28 weeks. I am not sure I can call it a bump anymore, it looks more like a bowling ball is under my shirt these days. I can't belive that my belly is going to get bigger in the months to come...yikes!