Dear Little Man,

Hi in there. It's me, your Mommy. I know you're squished and squirmy and getting a little anxious to join us in our world. In fact you just moved from one side of my tummy to the other as I am typing. You never like it when I sit for too long! We are so ready for you.

I want to meet you. I want to see your little wrinkled fingers and toes; cuddle your tiny baby body. I can't wait to see who you look like. In the weeks after you are born - my days plans are just to cuddle, nap, feed, play, coo, and spend quality time with you. That's right, you're spoiled and you're not even here yet!

Just wanted to let you know that I think about you every minute of every day. I love your wiggles, feel sorry for your hiccups, and am taking in every minute of carrying you everywhere I go.

I hope you dream big and shoot for the stars. I bet you'll get dirty, possibly even break a few bones, but I hope you have fun. I can't wait to see you learn, grow, walk, talk, and play!

I can't wait until I can say...Happy Birthday Little Man.

We love you already...

Love, Mom

"A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside... when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time, and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone."
-- Author Unknown

Nesting?

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am an extreme clean freak. Everything has a spot -- a perfect spot. And, if you come to our house you will find everything just as it should be. Well, add pregnancy in the 3rd trimester and you'll soon realize that my 'problem' has only gotten worse! Not to mention, a new washer and dryer has just been installed.

I have been shopping, arranging, cleaning, and rearranging as if it's my goal in life to have the most organized house for baby? As if baby K will mind. The other day I went on one of my baby store shopping sprees, dumped all of the bags out on the floor, and pieced together all of the outfits my finds could build. Then, I decided it was necessary to get out ALL of baby Krieger's clothing collection and figure out all of the outfits I could create. I have this strange feeling he has so many that he won't be able to wear them all? So, if that's the case, he'll rock two or three baby gap ensembles a day? =)

The aftermath of this feat you wonder? Excitement for another chance to organize and assemble baby K's wardrobe in the baby room. Crazy?! I call it nesting.

Then, I've been on this baby blanket addiction. Every store carries the cutest little baby blankets. And, I feel I need each one of them? Our cupboard has quickly moved from stacks upon stacks of hotel-like white, comfy, and spotless towels for all of our many guests...to baby blanket piles by texture. I mean, he's going to spit up and get them messy, so I need a hundred of them...right?

I love that as I am typing this it all sounds so normal and relevant. As I reread it years (or possibly months) from now, I'll realize, too, how crazy I've become in these last few weeks of having a bun in the oven.

All of these 'crazy nesting tactics' have gone without mentioning the cleaning frenzies I've been on. I can hardly bend over without tipping over, yet I deep cleaned every inch of my carpets with our carpet cleaner. The one where after the water runs out you have to bend over, refill, and do it all over again. 8 times total. Yep. We have clean carpet my friends.

Well, I hope this post gives you a glimpse into my crazy preparing-for-baby world. You can only imagine all that goes on in this ocd, perfectionist, and clean-freak brain of mine.







"Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be."
-- Carrie Fisher

20 Things to Remember about 32 Weeks...

1. Only 8 weeks to go(more or less).

2. Apples. Apple Juice. Apple sauce. Did I say apples?

3. Did that dryer sheet just fall on the floor?! Should I scoot it under where no one will ever find it, call Eric in to get it, or just spend five minutes trying to bend over and get it myself?

4. Baby Gap, Gap Kids maternity section, Old Navy, Babies 'R' Us, Target baby section, Pottery Barn Kids and Von Maur...new favorite shopping spree.

5. Packing the 'hospital bag' has become quite a feat. I've found myself in the nursing bra section (who knew?!)and I even stocked up on chap-stick for the hospital experience. What am I forgetting all you pro moms out there??

6. I still take at least one bubble bath each night. Now, however, my belly mountains over the bubbles...and water...and it moves, wiggles, and jiggles. Eric and my talks during these baths have switched from dreaming, hoping, and wondering...to visualizing and laughing about how easy we have it for now!

7. Teaching school is the easiest part of my day. I completely forget my wiggling belly, my aches and pains, and just have fun with kids all day! Then I come home...

8. Sleep. Lots of sleep. Naptime mid-afternoons, all-day Sunday...

9. Will this tank top still fit over my belly...nope.

10. Clean. Organize. Re-clean. Re-organize. I swear, I'm worse than before.

11. My dreams have shifted from adorable baby clothes and an amazing nursery to fears of leaving my students with a sub...and the labor process.

12. I've quickly found EVERY bathroom known to the Des Moines metro area. If I go there, chances are I also pee there.

13. Weekends before pregnancy: running around with friends, crazy nights out, visitors almost every weekend. Weekends after pregnancy: cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, afternoon naps, house-hunt Sundays.

14. Two words describe what I want for dinner every night: tacos and chili. Poor Eric.

15. By 9:00 a.m., I've visited the restroom 10 times, no lie! I don't think getting up with a baby will be too much of a change, I'm on a 2-3 hour schedule already...

16. Strechy waist pants, gigantic sized shirts, and comfy flat shoes have taken over my normally trendy wardrobe.

17. Can you say pedicure? I can't even see my toes, let alone cut or paint them...

18. Random stranger comments on my belly, opening doors, moving out of their seats, making way for me...

19. I haven't gone into one store without hearing a crying baby. Where did all of these babies come from? I never heard them cry before...now they steal my attention and I want to run and help!

20. Aches and pains are two new words to my vocabulary. Today, I was uncomfortable standing, sitting, and laying. It takes at least my two hands to get out of couch...usually Eric comes in for the rescue. I envision myself with a little walker with tennis balls on the feet as I'm walking through the mall.

The apple saga continues...


This is how baby Krieger's clothes are organized for now...shirts hanging; pants, jammies, and onesies in drawers. For today anyway...


Hospital bag so far...


Doesn't this look like paradise to you?


I can't wait to look back on this years later...

8. More. Weeks. I think I can, I think I can...

32 Weeks!

How far along: 32 Weeks...8 more (or less hopefully) to go!

Food cravings/aversions this week: I'm still really into apple juice. I think this little man likes apples. I woke up this morning wishing I had an apple to eat...which I never eat, so off to the grocery store we go!

I can officially eat chicken again! I've been craving it the entire time, but it usually makes me sick. Just recently I've downed chicken nuggets, chicken strips, among others...and I can keep it down just fine. Yay!

Changes/feelings: I feel like a blimp. I feel like my wardrobe is running out of options. But, I feel like I'm wasting money if I buy more maternity clothes, since it won't be much longer. So...I searched the clearance racks and scored 7 shirts for $22! A new record :) They are cute t-shirts that will fit through the end of my pregnancy...we can only hope. I'm feeling very ready. My dreams have changed from baby clothes and accessories to labor visions and fears. I wake up each day and think, we're one day closer to having a baby. I'm actually starting to picture it in my mind.

Memorable moment this week: We've started to pack our "hospital bag". I've been wondering about how to start this process for a while. We finally searched what to include. My visions: the gigantic suitcase that I took with me to London - filled with everything I could possibly need for weeks. Eric's plan: a small suitcase for all of our belongings -- since both him and his family will be here to run home or to the store for forgotten items. Well, Eric wins for once. We looked it up and it said how stupid you would look if you came in with a full suitcase ready to go! So, we're condensing, checking off the list, and getting the last little things I would never think of....like chap stick?! Hopefully we've remembered everything...

Least favorite moment this week: I've had more than a few dreams worrying about my long-term substitute teacher that I'm going to leave my kiddos with. I keep wondering what if I go earlier than planned and I'm standing in my classroom? What if the sub doesn't like what I have planned and doesn't continue to teach? All kinds of fears! Well, on Monday I have a meeting with my potential long-term sub...and I'm so excited! That way I'll know him, can start getting final plans ready, and I'll feel more secure if I happen to deliver this baby early...I'm probably just wishful thinking :)

What I am looking forward to: My 32 week appointment...one more closer to delivery! We are down to an appointment every week this time and next, then we'll be at the doc. every week! We'll see how I like all of those!

Baby Gap Baby!

So it's been four years and counting since Eric and I tied the knot. Many people wondered why we waited so long to start our little family. At each Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary, and all the others in-between we'd always get "So, when are you two going to have a baby?!" "You can't wait forever" and "If you wait until you're ready you'll never have kids!"

Truth be told, I wanted a Baby Gap Baby! I knew we couldn't afford the adorable little clothes...and I wasn't ready to settle. So, we didn't start trying. We finished our degrees. We began our careers. We bought a "mom car". Now that everything is in place...we can afford our little Baby Gap Baby :)



Dear Baby Gap:

Keep making adorable little boy clothes. While most stores stuff the boy clothes on the bottom of the racks (which I can't even bend over to dig through), you continue to have an expansive collection of perfect little man clothes. I want our little baby Krieger to look just like his daddy, and daddy wears Gap clothes. So, it only makes sense that your baby clothes look like miniature versions of the adults.

Please don't ever turn weird or put crazy big animal prints or wording across the front of all of your baby shirts. Also, keep on keeping on with the sales! :)

Your dearest and most loyal customer,
Baby Krieger's Momma

Falling for Fall...

It's official. The fall decorations are out. The smell of Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is in the air...

This year, fall means more than just a familiar and cozy crispness in the air. Fall isn't just a caramel apple and late-night stroll through the crunchy, colorful leaves that have fallen upon the quiet streets of town. Fall is another checkpoint in this journey to starting our family.

As I found the perfect place for each pumpkin and every cinnamon scented candle, I thought...life as we know it is changing. This will be the last fall that I decorate without a little one digging through the bins of decorations. This will be the last fall spent with just my husband. And, this will be the last Halloween without costumes, pictures, and candy-filled jack-o-lanterns.



We are one season closer to our little man's long-awaited arrival in this wonderful world. Just one more weather change and Eric and I will transition from husband and wife to mom and dad. My mindset has changed from what clothes can I wear and how can I make it out of the bath tub...to cherishing those last little kicks I soon will not feel. Our little man is due to arrive around Thanksgiving, and it couldn't be a more perfect holiday to be excited for.

We are thankful to be in love. Almost ten years and I still get butterflies...
I am thankful to be happy.
We are thankful for all of our opportunities and good fortunes.
I am thankful for the sweet smell of cinnamon and muted autumn colors.
We are thankful for great friends and family.
I am thankful to say I'm your Mommy.

Love you, little man.

30 Weeks!

How far along: 30 Weeks! That's right...only 10 more to go!

Food cravings/aversions this week: Right now it feels like I might as well erase the 'food aversions' part to this question. Everything sounds good. Everything. I guess my appetite is back in full force! This baby is a-growing, and my appetite is showing it. That said, my most recent craving would have to be wonderfully amazing apple juice. Weird, I know. The funny thing about my cravings is I don't even realize that I'm having a craving?! Eric and I were on our bi-weekly grocery trip yesterday. I, without hesitation, loaded it up with a case of Capri Sun 100% apple juice pouches...and not just one, but two Mott's apple juice. I kept walking as if it were no issue...and Eric was like, well someone is craving apple juice! Too funny that I don't even realize what I'm doing. I just go about my pregnant way without paying any attention to the crazy items I now add to my shopping cart. The best part - I don't remember the last time I've wanted apple juice? Maybe elementary school when they came in cute little round containers at lunch?



In fact, talking about apple juice made me want some. So, I'm drinking it as I write this blog post :)

Changes/feelings: Some changes I've noticed lately, is now that this belly is way out there for anyone and everyone to see...I get more comments and nice gestures from complete strangers. I was in Hy-Vee patiently waiting to grab a tomato for the tacos we make several times a week, and an old man said "You go on ahead, looks like you need that for two". In the same trip, a complete stranger moved her cart out of the way - as if I don't feel like a walking house already - and then proceeded to rub my tummy and exclaim "You're so cute pregnant!" I'd never seen her in my life. Positives: people open doors, slowly people slide out of their chairs or seats for me to sit down, and I never have to lift anything. Even my students get out their own books and put them neatly away each day! I'm ready to be back to normal Jenni who is very independent and would never have any trouble bending over, getting through a crowded room, or lifting things.

Memorable moment this week: I can feel baby Krieger hiccup! It's so adorable. It almost tickles when it happens. It's really easy to tell because normally his movements are sporadic, and when he's hiccuping its a constant and repeated little wiggle. The last time I felt them I was brainstorming ways that I could 'scare' the little man so his hiccups will go away. I can't wait to teach him all about how to make them stop someday.

Least favorite moment this week: Finding bathrooms in places I normally would never waste my time in. Pre-pregnancy I was a shopping pro - hitting every store, every clearance rack, every place I needed to...all sans bathroom breaks. I truly never had to stop to go to the restroom. Now, however, just ask and I'll let you know where the bathroom is, the best time to go, and what it may look like on the inside. I've now learned about Iowa as we stop at rest stops on our 2 hour trips back to Waterloo. I've never been to Iowa Falls before, and after that 10-min-out-of-the-way stop, I doubt I'll go back. I've never realized how disgusting a store can seem after leaving their restroom facilities. Thank goodness at school I'm a few feet away from a teacher bathroom. It's my home away from home.

What I am looking forward to: The third trimester. It means we're closer to actually meeting this baby and becoming mommy and daddy. I still feel great, have really no complaints, and am excited for a breeze through this last stage! We're now down to doctor's appointments every two weeks, but thankfully everything always looks normal and great...so they're only about 5 minutes long.

Baby Krieger - we're in the home stretch now little man. Keep growing big and strong. Keep kicking and churning, away from my ribs and bladder preferably, and keep up with your little hiccups. In a few short weeks, you'll join us in this crazy world. We're ready with open arms, a comfy room, and lots of love.

We love you already,

Mom and Dad

Just because....must be love :)

Have you ever had 'one of those days'. Well, on Tuesday I had one. A day filled with too much information at once, meeting after meeting, and a to-do list that never ended. I am NOT a person who get's stressed out or overwhelmed easily...and Tuesday just did it for me.

So...instead of calling Eric at work like I usually do, I just drove home from school in silence, ran myself a hot bubble bath, and took a deep breath. After the first few peaceful moments...in walks my husband...a dozen baby pink roses in hand. Perfect timing.

There was no reason. There was no occasion. Just an awesome thought - that happened to come on the most perfect day. I love that he does things like that on days that don't matter. He doesn't waste $50 on a dozen roses on Valentine's day, or even any other holiday. Eric is sweet every day of the year.

I love you, Eric!

Dearest Snoogle...

Oh Dear Snoogle,

What would I do without you? You wrap around all of my extra and expanding body parts just as I need you to. You never complain. You never disappoint. You, my new best friend, are just there to support me through my now interesting nights of sleep. I get up multiple times during the night just to pee...and who's there waiting for me when I return? You.

I'm sorry my husband calls you the "Electric Fence". I don't think you deserve that title. Truth be told, when I crawl out of bed in the morning...he cuddles with you, too!



Thank you for giving me the restful sleep that I need as I **still crossing fingers** breeze through this last stretch of pregnancy. You're the best friend a sleepy pregnant lady could have.

Sincerely yours,
Jenni

Houses for sale...

There's something so exciting about buying a new house. Yes, we've done it before...but this time feels more real. Eric and I are on a search for our family's dream home in Waukee, Iowa.

Last year around this time we were just getting settled into our new lives in West Des Moines. I landed the perfect 1st year teaching job on the South side of Des moines; Eric transferred to a lending position at a bank instead of a credit union, and life was great! We had no idea where the next year would take us. We planned on renting our fabulous apartment - equipped with vaulted ceilings, dual walk-in closets, and two bathrooms - for another year. It was as close to home as it was going to get for awhile. We didn't plan on purchasing a house until we got to know the area better and figured out where we wanted to plant ourselves and raise a family.

Well, a year later, I've landed yet another amazing teaching position - this time in a very close-knit/family friendly school district and town, Eric's been promoted to Branch Manager, and we have our first little one on the way. My how a year can change things! We are now looking to 'settle down' and buy a house in the coming months. Thanks to my perfect teaching job...we know we want to do so in Waukee.

Each day I get email updates on homes available for purchase. Eric does research to find all of our "must haves" in our dream home. And, on the occasional Sunday we'll roam through some homes in nearby Waukee neighborhoods. It's our little get-out-of-the-house adventure together.

This time our search is so different. We can afford so much more than before...in fact more than double our first home! It's amazing what two incomes will do to a household budget! :) We know we need at least three bedrooms, at least two bathrooms, and we'd prefer a two-story home this time around. The best part: all of those options are so attainable, and usually are boasted in brand new or nearly new homes!

One thing that stands out to me in Waukee is the family-friendly atmosphere. Drive through any cookie-cutter newly developed housing complex (my favorites!) and you'll see play sets, families out throwing the football around, and lots of bikes. I also noticed signs that say "Please drive slowly we love our children". I love them. They just make it the perfect place for us to start our new family.

So, here's to our house hunt! Wish us luck...

Waukee, here we come!