Last Christmas sans baby!

I know it's a little past the actual date of Christmas, but it's still Christmas-time in my mind! The three wise men have not come yet, the trees are still up, and we still have Christmas with my in-laws on Friday! Therefor, it's still Christmas! This is is/was our last Christmas without a baby! So exciting! Little boy has definitely been spoiled already, and has received plenty of presents even without him being here! Maggie had made for us a snowman ornament with baby boy's name on it, so sweet! My mom bought us a bunch of cute clothes and some little bear slippers that are precious! My dad and Maggie bought us tons of stuff off of our Target registry, including my favorite towel set that has turtles and says "I love my daddy". Too precious! It definitely made it easier to shop for family members this year knowing we could get baby related gifts, hehe. We have been having a great Christmas season, and are just so excited that next year we will have a little boy crawling around everywhere to share it with!

A few pictures of Christmas around our house:

My cowboy tree

Our red/green/gold tree,  that housed our presents!

My huge blue/silver/white tree! Love it!

 Here's a little fun survey that I just felt like doing... enjoy!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Even though I hate wrapping, with a passion, I prefer wrapping paper. I really have no patience when it comes to making gifts look pretty, but I think it's the thought that counts! ;-)

2. Real tree or Artificial?
We've always had real trees growing up. I never even knew that fake ones existed until I went to friends houses. They smell and look awesome! However, we're too cheap for real trees, so we decided we would have a fake one ONLY until our kids were old enough to start to realize the difference. So, in a couple of years, we'll be buying real trees!

3. When do you put up the tree?
The Farrington household put up the tree on Christmas Eve every year, and it killed me to wait that long, but in retrospect it was a really neat tradition. In our home we decided to put it up the first Sunday of Advent... a little early, but I just love Christmas! 

4. When do you take the tree down?
After the three wise men come! I think it's January 8th. That's when Christmas is sadly "over". 

5. Do you like eggnog?
Ew, no... Well, I mean, I'll drink it, but I'm not going to seek it out!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Hmm... tough one. Either my bike when I was in third grade, or our roller skates we got one year. We used the crap out of those things! Anything horsey was always awesome too!

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My father-in-law.. haha! It seems as if he already has everything that he wants!

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My dad or my mother-in-law. We can always just get my dad anything wine related, whether decor or useful stuff, and my mother-in-law loves jewelry! =)

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, but it is small and dinky... can't wait until I can afford a big nice one!!!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail! Real postage! It's just about the only time of year that I send out letters, sadly!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Don't think that's possible!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie(s)?
All of the classics (Rudolph, Santa Clause is coming to town, Frosty), and gotta add in Elf for my San Antonio Hometown Club bunch from A&M!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
This year I started making my lists around Thanksgiving, but didn't do any of my shopping until about two weeks before Christmas!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Nope, never! However, wedding presents.... lol...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My dad's turkey dinner, or peppermint bark! Oh, and you can't forget the white chocolate covered oreos! YUM!!!

16. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)?
I have clear on my trees, but really don't care. We always had colored on our tree growing up, and Darren said he wants to go back to colored and random trees when our kids are older.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Church song: "Oh come oh come Emmanuel", Secular song: "The Christmas Song" (you know, chestnuts roasting on an open fire...) Second favorite Church song: "Oh Holy Night", Secular song: "White Christmas". I just love ALL Christmas music!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Ha! All we do is travel, are you kidding? However, next year we will have a 9 month old, so I'm hoping family will come to us! =)

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen... Rudolph! All from memory!

20. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree?
Star... although I'd like an angel someday!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas morning! I think I'd like to start a tradition with our kids where they get to open one present when we get home from midnight mass... a sort of "thank you for being good in church". But Santa has to come in the middle of the night to deliver the rest that you get to open in the morning! My favorite thing when we were kids was that there were never hardly any presents under the tree when you went to bed, not even ones from my parents... then in the morning there were a ton and it was awesome!

22. Favorite children's Christmas song?
"The Friendly Beasts" or "Away in a Manger"

23. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Traffic. Definitely. Oh, and rude people... come on, have some Christmas spirit!

24. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I did a blue/silver/white tree, and then a red/green/gold tree... plus a small cowboy tree. I love my blue/silver tree, but we'll eventually just combine it all. I love funky ornaments. We always had a ton on the tree growing up.. you know "baby's first Christmas" or a golfing santa.... hehe..

25. Turkey or ham on Christmas day?
Turkey! Ham is for Christmas Eve!

26. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I mainly asked for maternity clothes, lol. I also asked for a book which I got, and a cd set of Reba's greatest hits, hehe.... Still have one Christmas celebration to go!

27. Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa?
Dad puts on this horrible wig with a santa hat... He looks like Mikey off of American Choppers, no lie!

Mikey or Santa Clause?

28. Age you discovered who Santa was?
I was a late-comer. Probably not til middle school. And even then we dared not say anything because my baby brother was a firm believer for forever!

29. Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider?
Hot chocolate! Yummm!

30. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors?
I like traditional colors!

31. Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof?
Nope... didn't even put any lights out that we bought. I did try to wrap my white porch poles with red ribbon to look like candy canes, but my puppy decided they would be a nice snack!

32. How does Santa get into your house? Chimney or magic key?
Chimney... duh. And when we didn't have one then he came in through an unlocked door.

33. Do you prefer gifts or gift cards?
Gifts... so much more personal. But hey, money and gift cards are equally as awesome!

34. Favorite children's Christmas Cartoon?
Frosty! It's a classic!

27 Week Survey

So, do I at least get a pass because it was Christmas when I was supposed to be doing my survey? Please? hehe... sorry again, here's a survey as if it were Friday!


The 27 Week Survey

How far along?: 26 weeks and 5 days!

Total weight gain:  23 pounds! Yowza!

How big is baby?: 2 pounds and almost 15 inches long! We'll get more precise measurements soon!

Maternity clothes?: Oh yes! And I got a bunch of great new ones for Christmas!

Stretch marks?: Nope! I'm beginning to think I might luck out! We'll see!

Sleep: Doing ok. Little boy did wake me up around 6am one day. I swear he was using me as a punching bag!

Best moment this week: Midnight Mass. Little boy was dancing away! I think he really liked the music and me singing! I'm going to try to start singing to him more often and see if he reacts! It was really neat, but I was pretty sure if the guy next to me saw my belly dancing around like it was that he'd think I had an alien growing inside of me! They were pretty profound movements!

Movement: Read above! Oh, and my father-in-law got to feel him kick! It was hilarious because it totally freaked him out! He hadn't even felt his own kiddos move around, or not that he could remember, so it was neat for him to get to feel his grandson!

Food cravings: Donuts. Mmmmm.... Shipleys!

Gender: The future star of the A&M baseball or football team! ;-) hehe....

Labor Signs: Negative!

Belly Button in or out?: The top of it has started to poke out... haha! I'm not quite ready for the day when it all pokes out!

What I miss: Not getting leg cramps. I woke up in the middle of the night with a horrible cramp. I woke Darren up and probably scared him to death because I was almost in tears. My calf was sore for 3 days after that one! It was funny though because I had just read that leg cramps were normal around this stage, and then, BAM, they hit me!

What I am looking forward to: Our big ultrasound in Midland next week. I'm ready to see if anything's changed with my placenta, and make sure that baby boy is still growing a-ok! Also, we're starting to plan my baby shower! Woo hoo!!!!

Weekly Wisdom: Realize that it will soon no longer be all about you, but all about baby! hehe... we got a good laugh out of the fact that our little guy almost got more Christmas presents than we did! ;-) He's spoiled already! Everyone just loves him to pieces!

Milestones: From my babycenter info: He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of funtioning, with a lot of medical help, if he was born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movement to a case of baby hiccups! Baby boy now has a distinct and recognizable profile!

I'm in shape! ROUND is a shape! ;-)

Still showing the belly... just for grins!

Showing off my awesome shirt that my brother and his girlfriend got me! 

 Fun(?) Facts:
- Breasts: 39"
- Waist at belly button: 37 1/2"
- Current weight: 136.4 - holy cow, as Ross would say! ;-)

26 Week Survey

The 26 Week Survey

How far along?: 25 weeks and 6 days! Now less than 100 days to go!

Total weight gain:  We're up to 22 pounds!

How big is baby?: Over 14 inches long and close to 2 pounds!

Maternity clothes?: Yes, yes, and yes! I may need to invest in more maternity camisoles... layering is nice when it's cold!

Stretch marks?: Still none... yet!

Sleep: It was so nice to be in our own bed... now if I could get the belly comfy! It won't quite fit onto the maternity pillow yet, but it kinda hurts to just have it without a pillow underneath.

Best moment this week: Seeing my belly dance when little boy was moving around! It was really weird yet really cool!

Movement: He's a kicker alright! Oh, and a squirmer!

Food cravings: Hmm, don't think so! I just like to eat! ;-)

Gender: A sweet, sweet little boy!

Labor Signs: Negative!

Belly Button in or out?: Darren made fun of it today because there is hardly even a belly button there anymore!

What I miss: This week? Nothing!

What I am looking forward to: Christmas with our families next week! I love Christmas time! Wish Clayton was with us to celebrate, but I'm sure he'll be kicking me all the time reminding me of his presence!

Weekly Wisdom: Spend time with your significant other, alone! And no, I don't necessarily mean in that department! We are quickly realizing that there are less than 100 days left of just "us". Although that is awesome and exciting, we know we won't have any more quiet nights, lazy Saturday mornings, or well, alone time!

Milestones: Less than 100 days to go!!!! Double digits! From babycenter: Around the end of this week, or early next week, baby's eyelids will open for the first time! That doesn't mean that he can see very well. Human babies are born myopic, able to see only about eight inches in front of them (just enough t, at birth, look at your face, though even that is a bit blurry at first) and better able to distinguish black and white than color. He's completely covered in vernix now, that white sticky substance that keeps him from getting waterlogged in there! He continues to pummel your intestines (NO JOKE!!!)  and you may also feel him hicupping - a lot. As his lungs prepare to breathe air, he's inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid!

I should really learn to turn my face better, Darren says my face is not as fat as it looks!

Whoa, momma!

Mid-Pregnancy Revelations

I'm 2/3 done baking this kid! Can you believe it? It still feels like yesterday when we found out that we were expecting! It still is crazy to me to think that we could have had a 8 month old by now though! But, I wouldn't have traded this... This is when Baby Boy was supposed to be here! Even though Mommy is slightly paranoid about there only being 100 or so days left until his arrival! ;-) Time to get to work!

So, some things that I've noticed....

1. I am growing an alien, not a baby. Haha! Little boy has been quite the mover, and as he runs out of room his movements get more and more pronounced! I have noticed my belly roll already, and have seen my whole belly jiggle with kicks! Too strange!

2. I don't look as pregnant as most people at this stage! I know that everyone grows differently, but after looking at friends pictures, or girls in my "birth club" on Babycenter... they're all so much larger than me! I've gained 20 pounds which I think is a good amount, and it's all in my belly/breasts, not face or feet... so I'm not sure why I'm still smaller, but I'll take it. I never wanted to be that huge whale of a lady anyway, haha! Sorry!

3. My husband is amazing. He loves feeling our little boy move, and has been so helpful with everything, whether it be around the house (cleaning, cooking), or just supportive! I'm definitely blessed, and so is our baby to have him as a daddy!

4. Babies are expensive, and he's not even here yet! All of this nursery preparation (which we are just now starting.. oops) is going to add up, and fast! We still need a glider, hutch, lamp, decorations, paint, you name it... all we have so far is the crib (my old one, which I know is illegal but it is so pretty!) and a small dresser that we will put the changing pad on. Oh, and my mom bought us our awesome bedding.... so we have a long way to go still!

5. I'll never get used to my changing body. I'm glad that my husband still finds me attractive.. maybe even more so than before (must be the hormones I produce, hehe), but I am not getting the whole "beautiful pregnant lady" thing! I find it odd that I can't see my hip bones anymore, and my breasts, although huge, just don't look attractive. TMI? I'm sorry! The only good thing is that this trimester my skin has been way better! Strange! And I did have a lady in the bathroom in Phoenix tell me that I had that pregnant lady glow! haha!

6. I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I feel as if this has been a really easy pregnancy... and I hope it stays that way! If so, I could do this all the time! haha.. joking, I promise. We will not be Kristen & Darren Plus 11 or anything like that! 30 kids and counting... lol! ;-) We'll see what the third trimester has in store... supposedly I will lose all of this great energy that I've had lately, start to swell, get all hormonal again, have to pee non-stop (oh wait, that's still going on!).... hmm! As long as there is not any nausea I think I'll be ok!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my revelations! I had a doctors appointment on Tuesday and all of my stats were good... Heartrate was 151, my fundal height was right on, my BP was good, and my weight was good... Now we wait until the beginning of January to go back to Midland to check on his growth and make sure that my placenta is still doing ok. Then I'll start going to them more frequently. My doc says that worst case would be that I'd deliver early because he stopped growing, but since we're past 24 weeks now, there's not much to worry about because his chances of survival increase more and more every day!

Love you, baby boy! Mommy & Daddy can't wait to meet you... in 100 days or so! Better stay put until then!

25 Week Survey

I know, you're not surprised.... another weekly survey after the week has come and gone. Yeah, give me a break! I had a good reason this week! I was busy surprising my mom for her 50th Birthday in Vegas! Yes, I know, there's no way my momma can be that old, she's too pretty! ;-) We love you, Nana! hehe... So, here's the survey, as if I did it on Friday. You should be used to that by now!

The 25 Week Survey

How far along?: 24 weeks and 6 days!

Total weight gain:  Close to 20 pounds... now that's scary!

How big is baby?: 13 1/2 inches, and about a pound and a half! So that means momma has gained 18 and baby the rest, haha! Think loaf of bread! =)

Maternity clothes?: Almost full time! And by that I mean that I only have 2 remaining pairs of regular jeans that the rubber band trick will work on, and t-shirts are now too short. Darn!

Stretch marks?: Still none... yet!

Sleep: Better, but it would have been nice to be in my own bed! We traveled too much this week!

Best moment this week: Seeing my family! None of them had seen me since we found out we were pregnant, so that was really awesome!

Movement: Oh yes, except, do not ask him to preform on command... he's stubborn already! He kicked me hard all the way across the new bridge to get past the Hoover Dam, and let me tell you - that was not fun!

Food cravings: Chocolate. At the IA show I had to buy a cookie and a candy bar (on separate occasions of course, to satisfy my sweet tooth!)

Gender: An awesome little boy!

Labor Signs: Negative!

Belly Button in or out?: It's now visible through shirts.... NOT COOL!

What I miss: Having more time! We are almost 2/3 of the way done with this pregnancy and yet there is so much to do!

What I am looking forward to: Dr. appointment!!!! Hehe...

Weekly Wisdom: Invest in a good camera! We just bought a little canon that was on super sale at Target and it works pretty great, but we definitely want a nice one so that we can take some good shots of little boy at home without paying a photographer!

Milestones: I look pregnant.... ALL OF THE TIME. haha! That's a milestone for me! It took a while to get here! Also, I had my first round ligament pains.... and let me tell you they are not fun! I really need to learn to sit down more often when we are walking around a bunch or else I really start to hurt! Here's the babycenter info: He's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out, and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair - and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture. In the next few weeks his nostrils will open and he'll start practice breathing even more. Small air sacs are developing in his lungs. He can hear even better now, so you can try to hook up the headphones and play your favorite music! (You think he'll like country or Christmas music?!?!)

Unfortunately this was taken in our hotel room so it's not the best, but it will do!

Fun(?) Facts:
- Waist at belly button: 37"
- Current weight: 133.4 (are you serious?!?!?!)

24 Week Survey

The 24 Week Survey

How far along?: 23 weeks and 6 days! HELLO VIABILITY!

Total weight gain:  About 16 pounds!

How big is baby?: Around a foot long, and a whopping pound and a half! Think ear of corn, hehe..

Maternity clothes?: Yuppers! Even my rubber band trick is starting to fail me. Some jeans just simply can't be worn anymore! And some tops are way too short!

Stretch marks?: Still none... I've been checking!

Sleep: He woke me up twice this week in the middle of the night. And then during my nap today he wouldn't stop kicking me so that I could rest, hehe!

Best moment this week: We got our bedding in that Nana (my mom) and Papa Steve (my step-dad) got us! It's awesome and we can't wait to start decorating! Oh, I also got a super cute dress for $9 at Target!

Movement: Anytime I sit still.... like now!

Food cravings: I really wanted my cream cheese chicken enchilladas, so I made them! And they were yuuuumy!

Gender: A precious baby boy!

Labor Signs: Negative!

Belly Button in or out?: Barely an innie.... like, BARELY!

What I miss: Not feeling overwhelmed. Right now I keep thinking of all of the stuff we have to buy/get done/etc before baby boy is here, and it's daunting!

What I am looking forward to: Thinking a little far in advance, but my baby shower! We're trying to pick a date right now!

Weekly Wisdom: Start a savings account when you're like 5 years old for your potential future children. haha! Babies are expensive! Trying to have a baby is expensive! Doctors appointments are expensive! Oye!

Milestones: Your baby is now so fully formed that he would be capable of living outside the womb if an emergency arose. His lungs, though still very immature, could breathe air if need be. Though the brain is much more formed now, the cerebral cortex--the place in the brain responsible for the most sophisticated mental activity (thoughts, consciousness, memory, language)--is not yet functional. The complex human brain, which makes us so different from other primates and mammals, takes much longer to come out of the embryonic stage than any other part of the fetus. In fact, a baby's brain will not be fully formed until after cooking for nine months in the womb and living outside the womb for about a year, during which time it will nearly triple in size!

Looking plump!

Ok, still showing the bare belly for you all... for now!

Fun(?) Facts:
- Hips: 36"
- Breasts: 38", pretty sure I mis-measured last week.
- Waist at belly button: 36" and a little
- Current weight: 129.3