I can see the light...

Pregnancy Post #4

I have finally made it to 10 weeks! Yay! Two more weeks until I am out of the first trimester and hopefully on the road to feeling better. I am starting to feel normal at certain times of the day which is an amazing feeling. Nights are actually much worse than mornings and usually the time when I feel the worst. That works out to my advantage so I am able to get through work and crash at night. The couch and TV have become my new best friends!

Last week I had my first pre-natal check-up and today was my first official Dr. appt. Both went well and I am getting another ultra sound done on 10/11. Very excited to see how Baby Schab is progressing and for Rob to be able to come with me this time.

So the good news is I am still able to wear all of my work pants- but the bad news is, I definitely gained a few pounds already. During my first appointment, I stepped on the scale and when I saw the number, I was like 'oh no.' The nurse looks at me and goes, 'Oh Honey, you have a long way to go.' Today's appointment, I am happy to report that I haven't gained anything. This is a Christmas miracle for sure, because I feel heavier than normal. Keep in mind, I haven't worked out since the beginning of August (which is very out of character for me) and I am no longer worrying about calories/food intake. If Rob offers me macaroni and cheese at 10PM at night because he had extra leftovers, why would I be a rude wife and turn his offer down? (You should have seen his face when he saw how quick I finished the bowl).

Other than the occasional night time meals, I can't really say I'm eating a whole lot more than usual- but some of my food choices make me cringe. Again, some days I'm in 100% survival mode and if I'm hungry and crave something like a slice of pizza- gosh darn, I'm going to eat some pizza to make myself feel better. Last night, Baby Schab really wanted a chicken cheese steak, so I put their needs before mine and enjoyed a steak and onion rings. The new food choices at 10 weeks I'm loving include.... green apples, lance peanut butter crackers, corn flakes, skinny cow mint chocolate ice cream cones, BBQ chips and vanilla yogurt with granola.

In fun news, my Mom and I hit up an adorable children's consignment shop and I purchased a swing that I have had my eyes on for a while! It was in perfect mint condition and I paid nearly half of what is normally would retail for at Babies R Us. I also picked up some cute maternity tops and even made my first baby clothes purchase. I am pretty positive I am having a boy, so I saw this ADORABLE blue collared shirt from GAP kids that I just couldn't resist! Rob actually has a similar shirt as well. My boys are going to be so cute!

Fun Kristin Pregnancy Stories....

1. Cry, cry, cry...I feel that is all I do some nights. Word of advice, don't ever watch Extreme Home Makeover when you are pregnant. I was hysterically crying on the couch for a whole hour and I think Rob got a tad freaked out. He came home from work during the middle of the show and had no clue what was going on.

2. Relax (yeah right...) I can be a very stressed out person at times. I would be the type in elementary school through college who would stress about every little homework/test/project etc. So naturally the thought of carrying a baby and learning new things started to stress me out. During my pre-natal appointment (on 9/16), she told me that my ultra sound would be scheduled around the 12 week mark on 10/11. Something about this date seemed so far away. I asked her, how do you even know if everything is ok when I won't see the baby for another 3 weeks and I started crying in her office. Who cries at a simple pre natal appointment?Apparently hormonal Kristin....

Ewwww.... You want to make what for dinner?!?

Pregnancy Post #3
8 weeks

So let me just start off by saying how much I hate eggs again. I was re-reading my previous posts and almost gagged when I saw how much I was loving eggs around 4-5 weeks into my pregnancy. By week 6-7, my eating habits changed once again and I was no longer loving my egg sandwiches. Prior to getting pregnant, I loved food. I would also be the party guest hanging by the food table, munching away at anything; I would be the girl at work emailing my co-worker at 9AM to see where/what she wanted to do for lunch; I was always the host of our BBQ parties that would spend $150 in food, because I was fearful our guests would leave hungry- I was always up for any food at anytime. Don't get me wrong, I paid for it later when I hit the gym everyday and tried hard to burn off the horrible amount of calories I consumed, but in reality, I just loved to eat.

Well, food has taken on a much different meaning for me now. Everything and anything has no appeal. I have become soooo picky about food it makes meal times quite the ordeal. Last night for dinner, I was in tears because I was so incredibly hungry and nothing seemed like it would make me happy or less sick. Poor Rob had to take his dinner of ravioli and fiesta salad and eat outside on our patio. The thought of his pasta with spaghetti sauce made me so ill that he had no other choice, but to eat by himself.

I have also been so incredibly nauseous these past few weeks that every minute of every day I feel so sick and just want to cry. Working has been my #1 hardest thing I have to do. I have been in my current position for over 3 years and I can honestly say I love my job. I am the weird girl who actually enjoys going to work every day and I look forward what each day has to bring. Unfortunately, now work has become very, very hard for me. Every day is a countdown until 2nd trimester so I can start to feel a tad better. I have also resulted to a new time low and now use my lunch breaks to nap under my desk. Yes, on the filthy floor, I crawl up in a pathetic ball and try to sleep during my hour break. Through all of this, Rob has been nothing short of amazing. The marriage vows we recited to each other two years ago have really taken on new meaning, "Through sickness and in health." From learning code, "Rob, crackers STAT" (early mornings if I thought I would be sick), to being a shoulder that I can cry on (which happens almost every day), to keeping our house in order (my new motto is, I'm so sick and I really don't care anymore), to dealing with my crazy food ordeals (Rob if I don't eat in two minutes I will be sick) he has been AMAZING! I am sooooo lucky to have him as a husband and I honestly can say, I couldn't do this w/o him!!! Love you babe! xoox

I know this is such an amazing time in our lives and Rob and I do feel so blessed and would never wish the time away, but I will be happy when October hits just so I feel normal again. I truly feel as if an alien has taken over my body. I joke with Rob saying I miss "fun Kristin" and I'm hoping she will be back soon!

Just for fun...my new food cravings/ weird food related items...

a. I HATE EGGS
b. I'm all of a sudden loving bagels w/ cream cheese (which use to be a very rare food item for me)
c. LOVE saltine crackers
d. LOVE toast with peanut butter
e. I am enjoying chocolate chip cookies here or there.
f. I will eat salad- but only certain types- the bagged mixes that I would buy at Giant by the dozen in my first couple of weeks of pregnancy have since been thrown out because looking at them make me sick.
g. Do not even think about bringing spaghetti with red sauce near me (although I have enjoyed pizza lately).
h. I crave hot dogs (but can't have them- that is a pregnancy no no)
i. Tomato soup/chicken salad sandwiches (only the kind from Issac's)

4 weeks...

Pregnancy Post #2

*all pregnancy posts were kept hidden until mid-October, but I still continued to blog

So the countdown to Baby Schab is on and at this time I am 4 1/2 weeks. Even though it is very, very early, I definitely do feel a little different. Simple tasks like laundry and cleaning take a lot out of me and I feel EXHAUSTED most of the time. My appetite has also changed as well. Believe it or not, I can't eat as much as I previously could. Also, certain food items that I use to LOVE have no appeal to me at all. The thought or sight of bread, (whhhattt I use to love Subway, rolls, sandwiches, Olive Garden bread sticks, etc), sweets such as cookies, cake, & candy and cereal & milk make me cringe. This makes me laugh because just a few weeks ago I would eat cereal every night for dinner?! It is truly amazing how things change so quickly. The biggest head shaker is eggs. I truly hated eggs throughout my life and would get sick just thinking of them. In this past week alone, I ate an egg sandwich every day for breakfast. In addition to eggs, I am happy to report that I am craving things like salads, vegetables and chicken which it totally fine for me!

The only other symptom is a shift in hormones....poor Rob. I am a little snippier than usual and I cry a bit more now than I have before. Classic story...Rob and I went to Giant and I went to the salad bar to load up on salad toppings. As I'm scooping up celery, tomatoes, etc- I start thinking how proud of myself I am for eating so well, which got me thinking of how we are having a baby and I started to cry. Rob just looks at me and goes, "Please stop crying, we're in Giant." LOL

Rob is so amazing and very understanding and I couldn't do this without him!

Oh Baby!?

Pregnancy Post #1

*all pregnancy posts were kept hidden until mid-October, but I still continued to blog...

August 12th 2010... who knew that two little pink lines could be so life changing!?

Back in January 2010 on New Years Eve, Rob and I were unfortunately very sick. I was bummed that we had to ring in the new year wrapped up in blankets and sit in bed before midnight. To make light of the situation, I got out a piece of paper and pen and asked him, "What are our 10 goals for 2010?" Among the list which also included, travel to Aruba (check), get promoted at work (check), save more money (a work in progress), was get pregnant (CHECK).

All throughout early 2010, we knew that anytime after July, the timing would be perfect. Little did we know how QUICK everything happened. I won't go into details (we all know how babies are made), but I will fast forward to a few days after we got home from Aruba. Prior to us leaving for Aruba, during our time in Aruba and days after we got home, I felt a little blah. However, I kept making excuses, "Oh it was hot in Aruba." "Oh I feel nauseous because I was nervous to fly." "Oh I'm late because we were traveling." Excuse after excuse after excuse. The week after we got home from Aruba was brutal with a capital B. I had numerous work meetings and two work events at night that required me to work very long hours and travel. I will never forget traveling on Amtrak in route to Long Island and thinking how much of a homeless person I looked like. I was sprawled out on both seats and slept on my book bag. I also felt like I was going to throw up at any moment. Once again, I just thought it was the long hours and the bumpy train ride making me feel ill. When I got home late Thursday evening, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I knew the chances were slim, but just thought I should check it out. OMG was my first thought (along with a few other words)....two pink lines!?! Ok, this can't be for real.... I went down to the kitchen and chugged about four glasses of water. I went back upstairs and took another test. OMG another TWO lines!?! By this time I'm freaking out. I drove to Rite Aid and bought more tests, rushed home and took test #3....PREGNANT!

By this point, I felt it was pretty official. I dreamt of this moment for so long, but when it did happen, the whole thing seemed so surreal. When Rob proposed, he spent so much time being creative and thoughtful. So I knew, this was my chance to return the favor. Here was my opportunity to be creative and surprise him. Well, if you know me pretty well, I am a terrible liar. The minute he came home from job #2 at 10:30PM, I was acting pretty goofy. I couldn't stop smiling or laughing. I was trying real hard not to spill the beans until the next day so I could do something creative for him. I failed miserably and couldn't wait to tell him. To view the video below of my "impromptu" way to telling Rob the news and his cute reaction see below....

The Happy "Father to be"


Sharing the news with Rob-(can we say he was a bit shocked...)

Family Weekend

In honor of Kelly's last weekend before departing for DC, we did one last family dinner. After an amazing meal at Texas Roadhouse, we played a friendly tournament of laddergolf while the cousins played in the yard. I am happy to report the Schab's dominated and everyone got along (except for Porscha and Lexi). During the middle of the game, Porscha and Lexi got into one of the worst fights I have ever witnessed (all over a stuffed animal). Despite the sisterly fighting, we all had an amazing time! We love you Kel, best wishes!!!

Goodbye Surprise Party for Kel

When Kelly found out she got her dream job in DC, I knew I wanted to throw a small party in her honor. She worked her tail off for the past two years to get this position, so she was most deserving of a nice celebration. In addition to our fam, I invited two of her closest girlfriends, Heather and Caitlin to join us in "wishing her well" before she started on 8/16! We had a great time and I definitely think she was very, very surprised!

ARUBA

For Christmas this year, Rob's parents so kindly gave us their timeshare as a gift. Without hesitation, we decided to go back to the Happy Island of Aruba and to the same resort as our honeymoon! The time of our trip also fell two weeks before our 2 year anniversary, so it was perfect! Our Aruba trip #2 was absolutely amazing and blew our honeymoon out of the water. We had an amazing time and really took advantage of what the island had to offer. Find our schedule of what we did and photos below.

Thursday, July 29th

We departed from BWI at 6AM and landed in Atlanta without any problems. After a short delay in Atlanta and changing gates three times, we landed in Aruba. By the time we got to La Cabana, it was close to dinner time and after a long plane ride, we took it real easy our first night. We walked around the resort (reflecting on what was the same/different from our honeymoon), enjoyed some drinks at Happy Hour and ate dinner at the Islander Grill.

Friday, July 30th

We woke up early and headed to the gym for an early morning work-out. Rob disappeared after running on the treadmill for 15 minutes. Turns out, he almost passed out in the bathroom, I guess he was out of shape! We went to the beach, enjoyed lunch at the Islander Grill, went to Iguana Cantina (Mexican) for dinner and enjoyed late night stops at Senor Frogs and Ben & Jerry's.

Saturday, July 31st

Rob and I enjoyed a beautiful boat ride/snorkeling adventure. Rob and I were both pretty excited about this trip and I thought it would be a piece of cake! Snorkeling proved to be much harder than I expected. I am not sure if it was the depth or the fact I had a mask on, but I definitely had a small panic attack in the water. I ended up hanging on a rope near the boat for dear life and encouraged Rob to stay out in the water and have fun. Later that evening, we enjoyed dinner at Tomatoes and Charlies and Rob had no idea that a "large beer" meant 1liter.

Sunday, August 1st
Sunday = Lazy Day

Beach alll day and then we enjoyed a beautiful dinner on the beach at sunset. I even got Rob to slow dance with me on the beach near our musical entertainer.

Monday, August 2nd
After spending too much time in the sun and getting burnt, we spent the morning traveling downtown and visiting shops. We enjoyed lunch at Iguana Joe's and taking photos around the harbor. For dinner, we kept it casual and ordered pizza and ate it on the beach while we watched the sun set. Later that night, Rob was an amazing husband and let me watch the Bachelorette Finale (go Roberto!) and we ate ice cream in bed.

Tuesday, August 3rd
Rob and I enjoyed a jeep safari tour of the island which was AMAZING! We saw sights such as: California Lighthouse, Ostrich Farm, Natural Bridge and snorkeling at Baby Beach. After a great day, we enjoyed dinner and a (fake birthday surprise for Rob) at Gianni's and an impromptu tour of the Raddison.

Wednesday, August 4th

On our last full day in Aruba, we spent the day at the beach and enjoyed lunch at the Islander Grill. For our last night on the island we did the PARTY BUS, which was so much fun. We met so many new friends and had the time of our lives!

Thursday, August 5th

We had to say good-bye to Aruba :-(

Rob and I spent the majority day traveling back home. We experienced many, many flight delays and didn't arrive back home until after 3AM. What an amazing trip!

Funny Rob and Kristin Inside Jokes...

1. TEARSEA!!!

2. We got locked out of our room.

3. The band at happy hour LOVED me.

4. Some man randomly walked into our room.

5. The rude woman in the black bathing suit on the beach.

6. The day they turned off the water.... alternatives for showers!

7. Sneaking into the pool with my clothes on at night.

8. Douche = soup in Aruba

9. "Do you have any muscle T-shirts"- wacko woman

10. "Ooo, Rob, you're face is breaking out a bit." (Kristin)

"Um, have you taken a good look at yours lately?" (Rob) hahaha- I looked like a teenager all over again during one part of the trip! My skin had a reaction to my spray on sun screen and resulted in my face breaking out very badly. Thank god Rob and I have a very open relationship and can call each other out on things...