Happy Birthday!

That's right, it is TB's birthday today and he turned the big 2-6! He started his day by working but was able to get off a little early to play some golf. It could not have been a more beautiful day to play - 75 degrees and nothing but sun!

After golf, he came home and we did a little celebrating!

He opened some gifts that came from near and far,


we sat on the patio at Dixie's on Grand and enjoyed an awesome dinner and drinks,


we did a little more birthday shopping (he received P90X so we needed to pick up some accessories),


and, last but not least, we ate some cake.


It was a good day :)

33 Weeks

Pregnancy Quiz:

How Far Along Are You? 33 weeks.

Total Weight Gain? 24 pounds.

Maternity Clothes? Couldn't live without them!

Sleep? Actually, pretty great these days. I'm usually pooped when I get in bed so I'm sure that helps.

Best Moment This Week? Let's see. I would say the lovely weather that has allowed me to walk around without my coat on. A lot of people didn't realize I was pregnant and look at me with confusion (almost as if I grew a belly over night).

Movement? Oh yes. Her favorite times of the day this week were between 2pm and 4pm and 10pm and 12am. She's not a huge morning girl or dinner hour girl at the moment.

Food Cravings? Didn't really have any this week!

Gender? Still a girl :)

Labor Signs? Just some pesky Braxton Hicks contractions that are feeling more crampy and regular.

Belly Button In or Out? In.

What Do You Miss? Uh, having ankles. They left for what I fear will be a long vacation this week. I miss them.

What Are You Looking Forward To? Our doctor's appointment on Friday and my family shower on Saturday!

Milestones? "Baby's gaining weight almost as fast as you are these days (averaging out to about half a pound a week), which puts the grand total so far at more than 4 1/2 pounds. Still, your baby has plenty of growing up (and out) to do. She may grow a full inch this week alone and may come close to doubling in weight by D-day. And with that much baby inside your uterus now, your amniotic fluid level has maxed out (there's no room for more fluid now). Which explains why those pokes and picks are sometimes extremely uncomfortable: There's less fluid to cushion the blows. Antibodies are also being passed from you to your baby as your little one continues to develop her own immune system. These antibodies will definitely come in handy on the outside and will protect your baby-to-be from many of those playground germs" (What to Expect When You're Expecting, 2008).

Birth Class #8

Our birth class on Sunday was all about babies and what to expect from our bodies after birth! I'll stick to talking about babies in this blog post because the other stuff is, well, more than you would probably care to hear about :)

We talked about everything from feeding to swaddling to diapering to baby wearing. It was so fun and interesting! Most interesting to us was what we learned about feeding:

1. It's perfectly fine to have a glass or two of wine or one to two beers per day while you are breastfeeding and there is no need to "pump and dump" the milk. I'm sure you could find some studies trying to scare moms into thinking the opposite, but the ladies we heard from and some solid doctors agree that so long as you're not dancing on the table with a lampshade on your head, your milk is really fine. Wine! Yessss!

2. At birth, a baby's stomach capacity is that of a marble. Yes indeedy doo. That's why Moms are encouraged to wake up their babies to eat every two to three hours. That stomach can only hold a little.

3. In the first two to three weeks of breastfeeding, you "program" your body to produce the right amount of milk for up to one year from that time. This is why frequent, complete feedings are essential in the first few weeks. If you supplement with formula too early and don't pump to make up for that supplementing, your body will get the impression that it doesn't need to make as much milk and so it won't. Then several weeks later you'll wonder why you can't make enough milk.

4. Babies only really need breastmilk for the first six months of life. No water, no sugar water, nothing but the milk. The magic is that there is foremilk and hindmilk, kind of like skim milk and cream. With each swallow the baby takes during a feeding, the fat content of the milk increases. Isn't that amazing? So they quench their thirst with foremilk and fill their bellies with hindmilk and that's all they need.

Well, that's our feeding trivia for the day! It's time for me to stop dreaming about holding Emma and a glass of wine and get back to work.

Go, Go, Go Joseph!

The highlight of this weekend was getting to see my brother, Ian, perform in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He played Joseph and did an amazing job. Really, he couldn't be more talented.

The theatre was impressive. Check it out (http://firesidetheatre.com/)! It's located in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, which is a little under five hours from the Twin Cities. Although Fort Atkinson is fairly small, the theatre is massive and draws crowds from all over. There is a restaurant inside that serves yummy five course meals, three gift shops (where Emma scored a cute sock monkey), and the stage itself is surrounded by seating on all sides.

Here are a couple of pictures from dinner. This is Ian with my cute Grandma who you wouldn't believe turns 87 in May.


My good lookin' parents.


And, here is my sister with a giant evergreen tree (Ok, it's me, but I'm telling you I was the spitting image of an evergreen tree wearing a green shirt and brown pants).

Taking Volunteers

It seems like every few days, Emma gets a gift from a friend or family member. The latest is this awesome activity mat, cute baby not included :) We put it in our living room.

Maggie gets really excited about Emma's new things, but she loves, and I mean loves, this activity gym. Here's her warming up to it after it arrived.


Looking at it from afar only lasted a few seconds.


What I couldn't capture because of how fast it happened was what Maggie did next. She threw her slim body down on the mat and proceeded to roll around while pawing at the dangling toys. Oh my. You'd think those dangling toys were filled with catnip.

At some point, we're going to have to tell her it's not for her. We're taking 'bearer of bad news' volunteers...

Gettin' Springy With It

TB and I had a great day today.

We slept in until 10am (so late for us), stayed in bed for a few hours and ate breakfast and wrote our birth plan, and then, because we just couldn't stay in bed all day on a b-e-a-utiful spring day, went golfing.

Tyler shot a 74 (oh what I wouldn't give...) and I had 2 pars and 5 bogeys out of the 12 or less holes I played. I'm telling you, something about the belly makes it so much easier to golf! Either that or Emma's got some talent :)

After golf, we stopped by the grocery store, made some dinner, worked a little bit, cleaned a little bit, and now we're laying in bed about to watch an episode of 24. I think we've told you about our obsession with 24.

It's been so great to spend the whole day together. We're thinking it may be one of the last times we get to before Miss Emma makes her appearance in as soon as 4 1/2 weeks (that's when she's considered full term). Can you believe April is almost here?!

A Bit of Randomness

Whoa, what is that?


Oh, just a golfer. A golfer who happens to be 8 months pregnant.

Tyler picked me up from school today and we went out to the course and played with friends until dark. It was a blast. Tyler played great as always, and as for me, can I get a woot, woot? I bogeyed a hole, belly and all.

After golf we went out for Mexican and now we are laying in bed. It's probably all we're going to do tomorrow because we worked a combined 198 hours over the last 7 days. That deserves a day in bed, don't you think? Now if only we could find a way to scoot our fridge and microwave to the bedroom so we don't have to move for food... :)

32 Weeks

Pregnancy Quiz:

How Far Along Are You? 32 weeks.

Total Weight Gain? 24 pounds.

Maternity Clothes? Yes, and even outgrowing some!

Sleep? Maybe a tad less restful because I'm up more going to the bathroom, switching positions, and feeling Emma move around.

Best Moment This Week? Probably going to the doctor. My doctor said she's really happy that my weight is staying in check, my blood pressure is staying low, and I'm not swelling at all in my hands or feet. We also heard Emma's heart rate, which is always fun. And, when our doctor checked her position this time, it seems she has turned posterior. So, she's head down but facing the same direction I am. Our doctor wants me to try some exercises to see if I can get her turned her back around (anterior) before she drops into my pelvis in a few weeks. I'll let you know how it goes!

Movement? She's a mover! And because she's posterior right now, I feel extra strong kicks.

Food Cravings? I'm acting on one of my cravings right now. I'm eating a chocolate milk shake from the St. Clair Broiler :) Mmmmmm.

Gender? Girl.

Labor Signs? Nothing new!

Belly Button In or Out? Still in.

What Do You Miss? Sleeping on my belly. The other night I actually put pillows under my legs and chest so I could feel like I was laying on my belly. It was glorious.

What Are You Looking Forward To? Getting pretty excited about my showers coming up!

Milestones? "This week your baby is tipping the scales at almost 4 pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. And growing isn't the only thing on the agenda these days. While you're busy getting everything ready for baby's arrival, baby's busy prepping for that big debut, too. In these last few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice, as she hones the skills needed to survive outside the womb, from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, your little one has been able to suck her thumb for a while now (okay, maybe it's not a survival skill, but it sure is cute). Another change this week: Your baby's skin is no longer see-through. As more and more fat accumulates under the skin, it's finally opaque (just like yours!)"(What to Expect When You're Expecting, 2008).

Something Old

Tonight we came home to find a box on our doorstep. In it was this sweet rocking chair.


It's not just any rocking chair.


That is Tyler in it as a baby (oh please God let our child have a double chin half as cute as that one). Grandma and Pop said in their note to us that every one of their grandchildren had rocked in it. Now their first great-grandchild will too. We're so thankful.

Receiving it reminded me of how special it will be for Emma to be surrounded by things from the past. She'll get to rock in this sweet rocking chair and be rocked to sleep in the same bassinet that her Great Grandma, Grandpa, and Dad were rocked to sleep in as babies. Apparently Tyler's Great Grandfather made it for his son.

In her nursery, she'll stare up at the same beautiful picture that hung in my nursery and my Mom's,


hear some of the same stories Tyler and I remember hearing as kids,


climb all over the same big white bear I did (it was a gift from my Dad),


and hold on to the same "sick elephant" Tyler's Mom gave him to hold on to when he was sick.


Remembering and being grounded in where you came from while making your own path. It's what life is all about, isn't it?

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Tyler and I are both working late tonight so will someone enjoy a couple of these and think of us?

31 Weeks

Pregnancy Quiz:

How Far Along Are You? 31 weeks.

Total Weight Gain? Unsure. Our scale is currently telling me I weigh 4.8 pounds. It's been the highlight of my week.

Maternity Clothes? Oh yes.

Sleep? Pretty good. I wake up a lot in the middle of the night and think about everything on my baby and school to-do lists but I figure I'll be up at that hour in a few months anyway so maybe it's good training!?

Best Moment This Week? During birth class this week, Emma kicked up a storm for about an hour. I think she was excited about hanging out with her baby friends :)

Movement? Yes, more and more everyday!

Food Cravings? I'm still craving sweets so I bought some mint chocolate chip ice cream. Mmmmm.

Gender? Still a girl!

Labor Signs? Nothing really. Just the typical Braxton Hicks contractions.

Belly Button In or Out? In.

What Do You Miss? Sleeping on my belly.

What Are You Looking Forward To? Our trip to the doctor this Friday!

Milestones? "Though your baby still has 3 to 5 pounds more to gain before delivery, she is weighing in at an impressive 3-plus pounds this week. And at 18 inches long (give or take a couple because fetuses this age come in all sizes), your baby is quickly approaching her birth length. Also developing at an impressive clip these days: your baby's brain connections (baby has to make trillions of them). And she is able to put that complex web of brain connections to good use, too - already processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. Your brainy baby is also a sleepy one, putting in longer stretches of snooze time, specifically in REM sleep - which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of wake (and kicking) and sleeping (quiet) times from your little one." (What to Expect When You're Expecting, 2008).

Welcome Back To The Crazy Life

It's a busy, stressful time in the Brew house. I am working hard on my first preliminary exam for the Ph.D. (I'm handing it in this Sunday to my advisor)

AND

the golf course is opening! The range opened today


and the course opens tomorrow.


They are booked solid through Sunday. Granted, it's not the warmest outside, but the snow is gone and we even saw 60 degrees today. It was heaven!

Birth Class #6

Tonight was birth class #6! It was kind of a random class in that we talked about lot of things. Mostly we discussed how to write a birth plan. To get us thinking about what we want to include in ours, our birth instructor gave us 30 or so cards with lots of birth preferences written on them. We had to choose those most important to us. We narrowed the list to healthy baby, healthy mom, coach present for labor and delivery, unmedicated labor and delivery, ability to move around and eat/drink during labor, and no separation from baby during the hospital stay. Our homework this week is to actually write our birth plan. This is great timing because our doctor and hospital want one on file soon.

We also did a second stage labor rehearsal. The guys were told to distract us girls in some way. First TB had me imagining I was on a beach. And he pulled out all of the stops, even describing the seagulls. Then he talked about what he thought Emma would look like. Talk about distracting!

Here are some interesting things we learned in class:

1. OJ is one of the best things a mom can drink right after having a baby (...I was hoping it would be wine)
2. Pushing while in the squatting position opens the pelvis by 10%-15%
3. It is possible (but rare) for a mom to go from 4cm dilated to 10cm dilated in minutes. I have decided that. would. be. awesome.

K..SSSSSSS.........UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU Wildcats!!

Funny Interviews

As part of a research assistantship I have through school, I conduct online interviews with high school and college students from around the country. It's really fun.

Lately, I have had a few, shall we say, memorable interviews. They went something like this:

Katie: What kinds of things do you spend your money on each week?
Student: Oh, you know, entertainment things.
Katie: Can you give me an example of an "entertainment thing"?
Student: Ummm, play materials...
Katie: Ok, thanks! (all the while thinking...huh???)

Katie: Do you still have a checking account?
Student: Hold on, I gots to eat.
Katie: No problem! I'll be here when you get back. Just know that I have another interview that starts in an hour.
***20 minutes pass***
Student: I'm back. I was really hungry.
Katie: I know how that goes. Do you still have a checking account?

Katie: How would your parents describe you financially compared to your friends?
Student: Pretty responsible. Can you hold on a sec?
Katie: Sure
Student: Ok, cuz there are fire alarms going off in my building right now. I have to go outside.
Katie: Oh no, get out of there! I'll sit tight.
***15 minutes pass***
Student: I'm back! Sorry about that. Some drunk kid probably pulled the fire alarm again.
Katie: I remember the same thing happening to me in college...

DROIDDDDDDDDD

During my mom's visit this past weekend (my meaning Tyler), I received my birthday present. It's my new favorite toy and surprise surprise it isn't a golf club. Any guesses?


It's the droid! The droid is AMAZING and I'm having so much fun with it and all of the apps you are able to download. Be on the look out for my next post because it will be all about the apps. However, until then, my advise to any future droid owner is to not download 100+ apps before bed and expect the droid to be on in the morning unless you have downloaded an app manager. I went to bed with full battery and woke up to a dead phone. Poor droid.

Before my droid app post, I wanted to start simple and show you some of the basic features of the droid. For example, its FIVE megapixel camera. Can you believe there is now a 5 megapixel camera ON A PHONE?! To the pictures....

Rayburn, Matt, and I headed to a Minnesota Timberwolves game (my first one) on Monday night to see the Wolves take on the DALLAS MAVERICKS!! Rayburn (the bald guy in the center) had free tickets and invited Matt (the guy in the back left) and I to come.



We started up high in the nosebleeds...


but spotted a lot of empty seats behind one of the baskets on the side and kept moving down...


and further down...


We saw the Mavs beat the Wolves 125-112!

30 Weeks

Pregnancy Quiz:

How Far Along Are You? The big 3-0. We've started the single digit countdown!

Total Weight Gain? 22 pounds.

Maternity Clothes? Yes. Breaking news is that some of my comfy maternity shirts are leaving my belly hanging out at the bottom. It's a cute look, let me tell you.

Sleep? Pretty good. Can't complain.

Best Moment This Week? Going to the doctor! I'm still measuring a few weeks farther along than I actually am and Emma has turned head down (according to our doctor and my ribcage).

Movement? Yes! And lots of rolling around, too.

Food Cravings? Sweets, but I'm trying really hard to stay away from them.

Gender? Girl! I thought about playing a game with you today and putting boy here but I didn't have the heart to shock you in such a way...

Labor Signs? I've been having more crampy Braxton Hicks contractions.

Belly Button In or Out? In.

What Do You Miss? No backaches.

What Are You Looking Forward To? Probably our next trip to the doctor, which is next Friday.

Milestones? "What's 17 inches long, just over 3 pounds in weight, and cute all over? It's your baby - and she is getting bigger by the day (in case you couldn't tell from the size of your belly). Also getting bigger daily is baby's brain, which is preparing for life outside the womb - and for a lifetime of learning. Starting this week, your baby's brain is starting to look like one, taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations. These wrinkles allow for future expansion of brain tissue that is crucial as your baby goes from helpless newborn to responsive infant to verbal toddler to curious preschooler and beyond. Your baby's bigger and better brain is also starting to take on tasks previously delegated to other parts of the body, like temperature regulation. Now that the brain is capable of turning up the heat (with the help of that growing supply of baby fat), your baby will start shedding lanugo, the downy, soft body hair that has been keeping her warm up to this point. Which means that by the time your baby is born, she probably won't be fuzzy wuzzy anymore." (What to Expect When You're Expecting, 2008).

Birth Class #5

I can't believe we've already finished birth class #5! Time is flying by. This week's topic was second stage labor. Let's just say second stage labor won't be a walk in the park. It's when baby descends into the birth canal, turns, and mom pushes baby out. Lucky for us ladies, the super painful part of this stage (called "transition") only lasts 30 minutes or so. Our birth instructor said we can expect to vomit, shake, feel nauseous, and have hot flashes and cold sweats. And our 'tudes aren't supposed to be too pleasant, either. We may get rude or angry at our coaches. Tyler is really looking forward to this stage, let me tell you :) Lucky for us all, we talked in class about how we're going to get through it.

Remember last class when our teacher made us attach ice to our feet to simulate the pain of first stage labor? I was convinced she'd do that again. Actually, I was kind of afraid of what she'd come up with to simulate the pain of second stage labor given it is way more painful. Imagine our surprise when we didn't have to simulate the pain at all. Yesss!

And I can't end this post without telling you that our salads were hit! Almost everyone ate them and a few of the ladies even went back for seconds. We're kind of proud of ourselves.

Here are some interesting things we learned at class this week:

1. Leaving baby attached to the placenta until the cord stops pulsating is a good idea because it will give baby all of the good blood that's still in it.
1. Some women take home their placentas and eat (yes, I said EAT) them. Others have them put in pill form. Apparently ingesting your placenta will replenish your body with the iron, etc. lost during childbirth, ward off postpartum depression, and increase mom's milk supply. Tyler said he would eat his placenta if he was a girl. Seriously. I, on the other hand, will not be eating mine. It can stay at the hospital with all of the other placentas that get left at the hospital, thank you very much.
3. To push really effectively, it helps to hold your abs tight when taking deep breaths in.

The Biggest Loser

Someone in our house has been eating less and exercising. It's been rough turning down the sweets. It's taken lots of perseverance. And, it's finally paid off. This someone just happens to have lost 2 whole pounds! Who's breaking out the skinny jeans?





No, not Tyler.





No, not Me.





It's Maggie!




Isn't she looking slim these days? Ok, maybe not slim, but slimmer?

How Risky Are you?

My daily life is consumed by school. Lots and lots of school.

Right now I'm working on my first preliminary exam for my Ph.D. It's not an exam in the traditional sense. Basically it's a 40-50 page paper that critically reviews literature on a particular topic, including theories that have guided the work, methods used by the researchers to gather data, statistical analyses, and practical implications of the research. My exam has to be done and submitted to my committee by April, so it's crunch time!

What am I writing about?

My research interests lately are in the area of risk. Risk tolerance to be exact. And what exactly is risk tolerance? It's the maximum amount of risk you're willing to take and still feel pretty darn comfortable. Everyone has a different threshold, which is determined by lots of factors: your personality determined by genetics, how you were socialized growing up, your race/ethnicity, your age, your gender, your income, etc. My exam focuses on these "determinants" of risk tolerance.

Based on what I'm learning writing this exam, I've started thinking a lot about my second preliminary exam (which is a publishable research paper) and my dissertation. What I think I want to look at for one of these is the financial risk tolerance of couples and how they make decisions that each member of the couple can feel comfortable with. For example, let's say that the wife in a couple is not as risky as her husband. And let's say they want to make some investments together. Do they choose a riskier portfolio to make the husband feel comfortable? A middle of the road portfolio to compromise? Or do they choose a less risky portfolio to make the wife feel comfortable? Any way you slice it, someone isn't going to get his/her way. Or at least each member of the couple won't get to do what they would do as individuals.

Lucky for me, I have access to a data set that will allow me to look at things like this. I'm puuurty excited about it!

29 Weeks

Pregnancy Quiz:

How Far Along Are You? 29 weeks.

Total Weight Gain? 21 pounds.

Maternity Clothes? Yes! I decided to model another lovely outfit of mine this week instead of the black shirt and jeans. It's my "ready for bed after a really long day" look.

Sleep? Not bad!

Best Moment This Week? Tyler blowing on my belly (you know, the blowing that sounds like farting) and Emma kicking him in response. She loves it when he plays with her.

Movement? Most definitely! This week she was really active during my statistics class. What girl wouldn't get excited about poisson regression? :)

Food Cravings? Nothing in particular.

Gender? Girl!

Labor Signs? Nothing besides Braxton Hicks contractions.

Belly Button In or Out? In.

What Do You Miss? No backaches.

What Are You Looking Forward To? Our doctor's appointment this Friday!

Milestones? "Your baby can be as tall as 17 inches now and can weigh about three pounds. Though already coming pretty close (within 3 inches or so) of her ultimate birth length, baby still has lots of weight to gain. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, your baby more than doubles - and may even come close to tripling - her weight. Much of that weight will come from the fat accumulating under her skin right now. And as your baby plumps up, the room in your womb will start to feel a little cramped, making it less likely that you'll feel hard kicks from your little one, and more likely that you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees" (What to Expect When You're Expecting, 2008).

Palm Springs

To keep everyone on pins and needles and to make sure we still have readers out there, I've decided to post pictures of my recent "work" trip to Palm Springs, CA vs. the Monday belly picture (KB will post it tomorrow). Enjoy!

1) Our Deal of the Day Rental Car - As you can imagine, Dennis (GM), Eric (Superintendent), and I (Tex) looked quite good in it...


2) Me


3) Eric


4) Dennis


Palm Springs has to be the best place and one of the few on earth where you can wear shorts and a t-shirt and look up in the mountains and see snow.


As the sun was setting on our vacation, the superintendent really thought he could hit it left-handed. Too bad there was another bunker in front of the one he was on the edge of.


Just for fun, a few shots of the different courses we played: