Stealth like a puma = One cool crib

We bought our first piece of baby furniture!  I know, it's a little early but when I see something I want (and am hoping for a Craigslist miracle) I jump.  With all modesty ;) we are what some might call "Craigslist Superstars".  We've purchased most everything we own on CL (Our home for instance, car, most all materials and furniture etc...).  It's a skill one develops over time and I'm proud to say we are gold medalists in finding great deals.  We know we want a modern, hip nursery with clean lines and one that is crisp but inviting.

Initially, I "google imaged" cribs and tried to look at the pictures without knowing price, brand etc...  I immediately knew we wanted the MacLaren Netto Crib but the price tag is a little (a lot) steep for this gal.  Not to mention, Russ would likely throw me out of the second story of our house if I bought it for full price.

So...I did what we usually do when we know what we want.  I stalked Craigslist like a puma (they are very stealth ya know).  I saw one of our coveted cribs posted a couple months ago and called that very day.  Unfortunately, we were too late to the game and some turbo-shopper bought it out from under us (rats).  Not to be discouraged... because when I saw "our" crib posted again a few weeks later, you couldn't stop me (neither could the lady who was apparently coming the next day to buy it).  I swooped in early the next morning and bought that crib.  Nothing can beat the feeling of rolling down Sunset Boulevard in a Volvo wagon with a sweet crib in your backseat - Boom! 

I also managed to secure the adorable linen boxes with our purchase as well.  Winning!

Lesson #1:  Never EVER put off going to see/purchase an item you want on Craigslist - go immediately or someone like us will beat you to the punch.

Bump Patrol

Quite a few of our friends and family have asked me if I'm showing and it seems that the past two weeks have really made the ol' belly look a bit bigger.  I'm not gonna lie though, it is very strange to be working out at the gym and to be surprised by your reflection.  That can't be me, that girl has a big belly!  It's that weird stage of not fully looking pregnant but not looking thin either.

It's fascinating though, and each night I can see a difference (or at least I think I can).  Poor Russ doesn't know if he should say I look pregnant or not ;)  I'm getting big enough though, that there is no squeezing into any pair of old jeans.  My new waistline is now forcing me to tell my agents this week.  I'm sure they'll be thrilled but the auditions will become fewer and fewer.  Hey, maybe I'll get more work as a pregnant actor?!

*We just painted a big chalkboard on our dining room wall so forgive the lack of continuity with the pics.  From here on out though, they'll all be in front of the board.

6 Weeks

15 Weeks

18 Weeks

Big City Moms - Biggest Baby Shower

You'll notice that I mention my friend, Christina, a fair amount in this blog because she is exactly 50% ahead of me in her pregnancy!  So, if you do the math, she is due in two weeks (when I am officially 20 weeks aka "half way"). 

We both had the chance to attend the Big City Moms Biggest Baby Shower event at the Skirball Center.  Ladies, it was a lot like a wedding expo but instead of wedding cake, diamonds and flowers, guests were treated to mocktails, strollers, and breast-feeding stations.  It was a lot of fun and we took home a fair amount of free loot.  For all the star-seekers out there, we saw Ali Landry and Jessica Alba.  Jessica has a new line of organic/natural baby care and cleaning products called Honest and I think it's a pretty cool company.

Gettin hammered with these delicious mocktails

I felt a little overwhelmed by the whole thing and while it was nice to see the various products, gadgets and baby food makers that are out there, I do a lot better researching on-line.  Overall though, it was good althoug, I think I would have been even more into it if I would have been further along at the time (12 weeks still felt a little early to really dive into "babyworld, ").

Babies first pacifier and booties

All in all, a really fun night with a great friend (and the free Sprinkles cupcakes weren't too bad either).

Since we don't know if it's a boy/girl, the woman at Honest, gave me both sets of diaper patterns.  Skulls for a boy and ice cream cones for a girl.  Let's be honest though, I'll use them all regardless of gender ;)

13 Week Ultrasound

I'm still playing a bit of catch-up here, but wanted to be sure I posted some of the sweet photos from our 13-week ultrasound.  The perinatologist wouldn't give us any hints as to the sex of our baby so we'll just have to wait, which is always fun!

Little Nugget - My friend Christina, has started calling it Baby BK Stacker (Brink Kerwin)

Looks like half a baby but this is just the way the top of the image comes out using the fancy technology, we were assured that our child will have legs ;)

For those crazy people who want to see the whole ultrasound, you can click here and see the whole show.

The first-ish purchased outfit

I've long been a little over-zealous/crazy (no surprise there).  Over the course of our marriage, I've taken it upon myself to purchase a baby outfit in most of the countries we've visited.  I have some cute onesies from France, a cotton Vietnamese outfit, booties from Turkey and more...

I know those are all technically "purchased" but they've all been put away and I didn't even know when we would try for a family when I bought them.  So...the below outfit is my "first" purchased outfit for our child that we are actually aware of.

It's unisex so can fit either a boy or a girl.  I had my eye on it a month or so ago but couldn't break down and pay full price.  I take after my mother in the good deal department, so when I saw this little beauty under the "sale" sign, I knew it was time to purchase!

Russ loves/likes it too, which is saying something because he's not the most excitable guy (as you all know).

First Ultrasound and telling Grandma and Grandpa Kerwin

 We had our first ultrasound around week 7 to check on the baby.  It was the first big moment for us as "parents".  Wow, that word is even difficult to type!  As the fabulous Dr. Kerr put the ultrasound to work, she told Russ to, "hurry, hurry over here and hold her hand, this is a real couple moment".  It was right then, that she isolated the heartbeat and we heard our little baby hard at work pumping blood through its already developing heart! 

The little bug

The heartbeat was 147 beats/minute (great said Dr. Kerr) and it was definitely a surreal experience.  You'll notice, I use the word "surreal" a lot because I can't think of a better word to convey the complete aw that we felt.  I also didn't know that once a heartbeat is established, the risk of miscarriage goes down from 25% to 3%, which was super comforting.  After the first trimester, the risk only goes down 1% more so we were feeling a huge relief.

The two littlel parrell lines in the middle of the picture are the heart.

As timing would have it, Russ' parents came down that evening after returning from a month in Seattle.  We weren't totally ready to tell them just yet but about one week later we broke the good news to them over wine (and non-alcoholic ginger beer) at one of our favorite places, City Sip.  We gave them a card that said something to the effect of "money leaving your wallets and grandchildren pictures filling it up".  When the magnitude of the message set in, Nancy cried her eyes out and kept asking, "are you serious" immediately followed by, "now we have to move here"!  Dave-O was also pretty excited and offered big hugs.  We also gave Nancy a little box with a bib enclosed that read, "Grandma Gives the Best Hugs". 

The moment we told Grandma and Grandpa Kerwin (not the best picture, but the only one we took)

Grandma's Bib

A Little (o.k. Long) Break and Now We're Back - And We Have BIG News!

As you've probably noticed, we've been delinquent on this blog for quite some time but our "voices" were best utilized on a different blog, a home renovation blog.  I personally loved writing about a variety of things going on in our lives but honestly, about two years ago, our world began overflowing with home renovations, DIY projects, and yard work!  So, in that vain, it made sense to switch gears and focus solely on the house stuff/blog (and even that was a challenge).

Frankly, I think more people liked the home blog  vs. our day-to-day lives but alas, we are back.  No, this does not mean the house is finished (but we're getting there)!  We have returned to this blog because our lives are moving in numerous directions far beyond home renovations.  Not to mention, we have families and friends who want frequent updates on more than just the house.

They mostly just want updates on our newest and most exciting project: Baby K!

You read it correctly, we are expecting our first child in September 2012.  For those interested in Asian culture, we hit the jackpot - - Baby Kerwin will be born on the Year of the Dragon - VERY LUCKY!

After quite a long time of trying, we feel really blessed to have made it safely into the second trimester.

Below are a couple of highlights:

• When I found out
• How I told Russ

I found out via home pregnancy test on Monday, January 2nd.  I awoke after a troubled sleep convinced that I was not pregnant because two nights prior, when we were in Colorado for the New Year, I took a $.99 store pregnancy test and the result was negative.  Once home though, I thought it wouldn't hurt to take the "fancy" test first thing in the morning.

The results!

My (our) whole world changed that morning.  I remember the moment I saw the words "pregnant", I was shocked, overwhelmed, overjoyed, and thankful.  While Russ still slept just five feet away in our bedroom, I took some time to collect myself, thank the Lord and made the decision not to tell Russ until I had the official blood work the NEXT day!  Plus, I wanted to put some thought into the way I was going to tell him.

The next day, I shared the good news with the amazing staff at Dr. Kerr's office.  They had been on this journey with me for a while and it was fun to celebrate with them.  I ordered a "rush" on the blood work and I later received the joyous phone call from Dr. Kerr.  She was so excited and it was a special conversation that made "it" official.

Russ (and Beba) reading the card - super special moment

The watch with engraving

The card, a little bib and the ultrasound pictures of the egg

How this whole thing started ;)

I made Russ' favorite, baby back ribs and handed him a gift bag. He opened up the gift and it was a watch and on the back, I had it engraved,"It's About Time - - Baby K 9/12".  He was super excited and that moment is one of the sweetest we've experienced as a couple in our 13 years together. I also gave him a bib and a card with the ultrasound of the follicle/egg that was our baby prior to being fertilized (long story short, I had been going to my doctor prior to ovulation for a "trigger" shot to have the most mature egg released).  I feel really fortunate to have such an extensive timeline of our little babies journey.

Baby Kerwin Due September 6, 2012