Let there be light

Not sure if you noticed or saw a random window frame in the bathroom wall when we took down the sheetrock...but we did.  And my dad was bound and determined to make it an actual window.  Our guess is that when they built the house the plan called for framing a window in the bathroom (we have a window in our other 2 bathrooms) but then maybe the original homeowner didn't want it?  Not sure.  But that framing made our lives a lot easier because my dad just measured (measured a lot and very precisely) and cut a hole in our house for a window.  It made me rather nervous at first, but guess what?  I wasn't there to be nervous for it because when we got home from a fun fundraiser at St. James with Danny and Kristen on Saturday afternoon, I saw the light coming from underneath the bathroom door.  And walked in to see a hole in the bathroom.  Check it out.

Dad - where are you!?!?  You cut a hole in the house and then take off!?

This was our entertainment....

 But doesn't it look good?  Check it out from the inside (obviously you can still see the old shower head).  We will just tile around it and the bathtub will go right under it...

Check it out from the outside.  Of course it matches up perfectly and right in line with the window in our own master bath (just on the left of the new window).  This is after it's covered up for the evening.  The 1/2 bath is just directly underneath the new window too!

And guess what?  My dad and Jimmy didn't stop there.  On Sunday, he put the glass window blocks in and it looks oh so good.  I did feel really bad because he kept wanting to keep working even through the KU game that was on Sunday afternoon.  It was such a big game even I was watching it...but he insisted on getting everything perfect and getting it done.  That's my dad for you.  And guess what?  KU ended up winning, so he was happy when he left our house with a KU win and a completed window.   I love the window so much and can't wait to see how it changes the bathroom - brings in so much light!!

Check it out from the inside.  The cement between the blocks is still drying, but seriously?  My dad is like a professional.  I love it!!!  And Baby Carter will love it too - I think that is his new motivation!

Another fun addition that was made per my request for some more light?  A can light perfectly situated over the bathtub (or future bathtub that is sitting in our garage....) to give whoever is in the shower a littler more light.  Again, more electrical genius from my dad.  He did work at the electrical company for a long time pre-wife and pre-kids, so he knows what he is doing.  And he's really good at it!!

There you have it....where the progress stands so far.  We are getting there.  Bathtub is in the garage.  Vanity is on it's way (ordered online because it wasn't in the store) and the tile is picked out - just need to go buy it.  We are on our way folks.  Because next up, I will need help with the nursery!!

See ya bathtub

The bathtub was going to stay.  But then we started looking at it closer and it was gross and the prices for someone to come in and reseal it would be about as much as we were going to pay for a brand new bathtub.  So when Evan, the plumber (and friend haha), came over...I asked him for his candid advice as to whether we should take the whole thing.  He said yes because if we left the bathtub in...for him to get to the drain to fix (which was the WORST part) he would have to go through the ceiling, which means we have to tear up the ceiling in the half bath below.  Um, no thank you.  So we decided, out the bathtub would go.

However, that is easier said than done because the bathtub is the original to the house and it's like at least 200 lbs.  and there is no way you can get it through the door in one piece.  Well, Jimmy and Evan were put to work to try to move it out from the wall.

Oh yes, they are so strong.

Since trying to move it around did not work, my dad decided to cut it in half.  Yep, cut the bathtub right in half.  I don't want to see what that saw blade looks like because I'm sure that wasn't easy to cut at all.

But they finally got it cut in half...and out went Jimmy the strong man went.  Well actually, each half was so heavy that my dad and Jimmy had to carry it together.  It probably didn't help that I was watching them the whole way in the hallway, down the stairs and through the entryway saying "Please don't drop the bathtub on my new wood floors!!!!".  I know, not that helpful, but still I really like those floors.

My dad and Jimmy preparing to throw 1/2 the bathtub in the dumpster

Up it goes...

And success!!!

And there you have it.  An empty and completely demolished bathroom.  What you won't believe is what it looks like already today - lots of work been going on!!

While Jimmy always says that he has the hardest part because I make him and my dad do all the manual labor - I think my job is super hard too...which is planning and buying all the materials, including tile and a vanity.  AHH!  I cannot decide what exactly I want to do, but need to make a decision soon because it's time for the new bathtub to go in and the backer board to go down and the tiling to start!  Wahoo!!

21 down, 19 to go!

All right, better late then never, right?  It was crazy because this week when people were like..how far along are you I could say "over half way done!", which was pretty exciting.

But you will see how the bump/baby is consistently growing.  And my normal clothes are consistently getting smaller.  Which makes for interesting mornings when I'm getting dressed...but that's ok.

It was nice to meet someone who is having their first kid and due 3 days before me (see the "best moment of the week" below) to compare and contrast.  Even though we didn't know each other, we talked about how HUGE we feel and how everyone comments that we are not big at all.  Funny how that works, right?  I think it's just different because I have never looked in the mirror and had a huge stomach and been super excited/happy about it.  Guess a baby growing inside you will do that to you!

Onto the pictures...

How far along: 21 weeks
Size of Baby BOY Carter: 12 oz and 10.5 inches (wowza - grew 4 inches??!)
Fruit/vegetable comparison: Size of a banana - which is weird because I feel like a cantaloupe is bigger than a banana, but I guess it's longer?!
Total weight gain: 12.5lb
Sleep: Much much better with the snoogle!
Movement: I think little moves, but nothing big.  We even saw him kick during the sonogram, but I didn't feel anything!
Unglamorous body changes: Hmmm - lots of gas?  Well more like a really sore back all the time.  I am not a fan of that at all!  Oh...and my abs like HURT.  Was talking to my friend that is a labor and delivery nurse and she was saying it's normal because my abs are just breaking apart- wow, all those years working for a six pack...haha!
Food cravings: Loving me some nacho cheesier Doritos!
What I miss: Fried eggs and sushi - miss that fish!
Strange experiences: Not really strange, pretty crazy feeling him move around inside me! 
Milestones: Digestive system is starting to develop.
Best moment this week: Meeting a girl at a party on Saturday night that is due 3 days before me that lives like 6 blocks away from us!  And guess what?  We exchanged numbers because I told her we have to hang out after our little ones come and we are on maternity leave.  YES - first mom friend and SO excited!!!

Going back to the doctor on Wednesday for another check up!  Can't wait to hear his little heart beat!

A party to announce a baby BOY

When Jimmy and I first decided that we were for sure going to find out if we were having a boy or girl at 20 weeks - I convinced him it would be fun to get our families and just a few close friends together to make the official announcement.  As I mentioned before, we really wanted just us to find out first and together at the doctor's office...so we kept it a secret for about 2 days and everyone was set to come over at 6:30 on a Friday evening to my parents house (which was so so nice of them to host it) to eat some dinner and hear the news.

My mom had quite the set up and we had been tossing around ideas the week before about the decor.  I say the "mustaches and bows" thing and found that hilarious and lucky for us, Hallmark had a party game that I found with some pretty sweet mustaches...my sister and I tied the bows right before the party.

My mom's door decorations - remember she had no idea.  She also said backwards question marks are really hard to do - haha, so funny and true mom!

I made some cupcakes with the blue cream cheese filling hidden inside.  Jimmy decorated them himself.  He asked if he could help - and that was the job I gave him.  He did pretty good for last minute!  You get the point, right?

My cake I made with homemade buttercream frosting.  I have to say, it wasn't hard to make but I should have chilled it a bit before frosting, but it was DELICIOUS.

Blue or pink!??

My sister's decorations in my parents kitchen.  So fun!

So once everyone arrived...we had a great time catching up while my sister entertained our nieces and nephews up in the Barbie room.  It was PERFECT weather that night, so lots of the fun and conversations took place in my parents back yard.  It was wonderful.  After everyone's votes were cast and a delicious pasta meal that my mom and uncle prepared was eaten, it was that time!!  I did feel bad because I thought we would for sure have told everyone by 7:30PM (hence when the blog post was going to auto-post)...but then the clock kept ticking along and it wasn't time to announce because people were still eating.  I kept having to push it back....haha...and I'm so sorry to Molly who text messaged me and said she was waiting at her computer for the announcement!!!  AHH!!  But...eventually, it was read to tell everyone the big news.

And this is how we did it.  We had all our nieces and nephews sit around the kitchen table and we gave them all a cupcake and did a countdown to eating the cupcake to see what color was in the middle.  If you cannot tell - Ben was super excited (he is in the green shirt) because he was really hoping it was a boy!!

And THEN....watch the video to find out how it was revealed.  Pretty funny and really fun!!  Ben took a HUGE bite and then yelled it was blue and it's a boy!

http://youtu.be/hQpKPa6sniQ

After that (the KU game was on that night at like 9:30PM), people started filing out...but a few stayed.  and we had a little bit of fun.  With the mustaches....

Kenlie and the mustache!

Kenlie, Ben and Libbie all with mustaches! 

Oh Ben - he's so pumped for a new member of the boy's club

Then Eli decided to give it a try

And then Katy...the fun didn't stop.

Kenlie and I

And it made it to the cup..

And then my stomach.  This is a HORRIBLE angle view, but pretty funny!

Wassup Libbie?

And finally, we ended the night with grabbing a few pictures of me and Jimmy.  I tend to take pictures of lots of other people, but don't get any good ones of us.  And I wanted one that night of us.  Because it was a big night.  With lots of excitement about the news.  Way too many wonderful presents and books and new clothes for Baby Boy Carter (and even a new maternity dress for Mama Carter - very cute!!!).  And best of all, lots and lots of love from our family members and friends for us, each other and especially this sweet little baby to be.  

We couldn't have had a better time celebrating the exciting news with our families!  We are so blessed Thank you to everyone who came over to hear the news and was anticipating it via blog, facebook or text!  We love you! 

Oh man..what do you think this little boy is going to LOOK like?  Red hair or brown!?!?

Spring Sundays

Even after a fun Saturday night with friends, this morning I was up bright and early (as usual) ready to take on the day.  Instead of heading to church at nine, we had other plans, which included a Bruns family outing to see the Hunger Games movie at 10AM.  Since I was up at 7:15AM...I took the boys on a walk.  Boys meaning Willy and Toby.  I feel bad leaving Miss Milly behind, but she cannot make it through our desired route without me having to carry her.

Nothing beats a beautiful spring Sunday morning.  I couldn't believe how nice it was outside and it was perfect weather for my favorite back work out capris, a t-shirt of Jimmy's and a long sleeve Pi Phi shirt.  It was a serene morning where no one else was out and the sun was rising.  There were a few neighbors that we welcomed as we walked by at the end of their driveway that were in their PJ's getting the newspaper.  But other than that, it was the rising sun, peace and quiet, a tree-filled street with green grass and blooming flowers with me and my three baby boys.  Yep, three little boys.  One is still cooking, but he appreciates the morning walk I'm sure.

Here's the thing about me when I go on walks.  I don't wear an iPod or have any music.  Weird, huh?  I literally love walking down the streets and hearing silence or soaking up the sounds of a busy afternoon or evening in the neighborhood.  It makes me wonder if all those Myers-Briggs test I take that say I'm an ENFJ are right...because I really do feel like I get my true energy and relaxation from within.  In peace and quiet.  Something I know might be short lived...so I'm taking what I can get.

On my walk this morning I couldn't help but think about life and all the things that come with each season of the year and also each season of life.  But this spring in Kansas City couldn't be more glorious.  We were super spoiled with never having to shovel the driveway this winter and we were complaining that 40 degrees was "cold".  Last winter - I was happy to see above freezing temperatures and praying that the snow would stop eventually.  I'm welcoming spring and summer with open arms.  It means warmer weather, but also means some babies are coming!!  Jackson Matlock will hopefully be making his debut in the next few days...then Baby Moore and Baby Carter and Baby Calcara.  Whew!!  It's crazy that my friends and are old and mature enough to have babies of our own!

In the mean time - this post really is pointless, but just loved the weather and sunshine and time with my sweet boys this morning.  Excited for more of that to come...

Our tree that usually blooms around our anniversary, bloomed a month early!

Love these daffodils that come back no fail every year!

And guess what, I spy some blooms on the azaleas that everyone said I had died!! NOPE!

Love this time of year.

PS The movie lived up to its hype. Totally in love.