MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!! (grrrrr)

Back in August, as soon as Rob and I saw the 2 pink lines on the test, we have been very money conscience. We have always been pretty good and never lived outside of our means, but we aren't the best with saving money. With the exception of Aruba this summer, which was actually a Christmas gift from his family, we never go on vacations, we don't buy huge electronic items, overall we try and keep it simple. I think it really helped that we met each other in college and were very use to the 'pizza for dinner date nights' lifestyle. However, there are definitely areas where I know we can improve on. We have cut back on eating out A LOT in comparison to our college days, but I know I'm guilty of going out to lunch with co-workers here or there, Rob visits Dunkin Doughnuts/Rutters every day, we don't clip coupons, we don't save as much money as we should each month, etc. etc. So there are definitely some areas that we could do better in.

Back in October 2009, I finally paid off my car, thank the lord! It has been great being able to save an extra $200 each month and put it towards other bills. Rob also doesn't have a car payment and is currently driving my Grandmother's car. Have we been driving the most glamorous cars over the past few years, absolutely not. However, we both don't have car payments and the cars are fine for our current lifestyle. Real recently, we "started" to casually think about possibly getting a new car-something "family friendly" and could accommodate our growing family, but thought we could wait until spring to buckle down and look.

Lets back track to last week. Once or twice when I drove to work, my car would 'jump' a tiny bit when I accelerated. When it comes to cars or other unfamiliar territory for me, I take the position, I'm not going to worry about it until I actually have a problem. Sure I see lights go on in my car here and I have no clue what they mean, but until I have a major problem- I usually just tell Rob about it and he takes care of it. This past weekend when we were taking my car out, he asked me about the "jumping problem." "Oh yeah." I said, "I did notice that 1-2 times or so." He goes, well it could be due to the cold weather, but please keep your eye on it. Sure thing, hubby- I will!

Tuesday night, I was on my way home from work when several cars stopped in the road, because a car was turning left. Once the car turned, the line started moving again. I pushed on the gas and nothing....The next few seconds were a blur, I just remember thinking, "Oh sh*t, I can't move. Please God, help me move at least over to the side of the road." After a lot of beeping from behind me, the hand of God came down, and I somehow had enough 'juice' to steer my car out of traffic. The next hour and a half consisted of, 10+ calls to the husband (he wasn't answering at first), a call to AAA, a call to Mom and Dad (who live hour + away, but you always need your Mommy and Daddy in that situation) and a call to my neighbor to try and track down Rob. Rob finally got my message and met me where I was stranded. Once again, he gets the husband of the year award. He was actually getting ready to go to his part time job when he got my message. He called out that night, met me out on the side of the road, pushed my car further away from all of the traffic and waited with me until the tow truck arrived. I swear in terrible situations, Rob always seems to find the positive in everything and make friends with everyone he meets. It was dark and cold out and he told me to wait in my car while he spoke with the tow truck man. All of a sudden I see them laughing and Rob comes back and goes, "Oh Kristin, he is so nice. His name is Andy, he is our age, blah blah blah...." LOL "That's great Rob, but how will that fix my car?!?"

To make a looonnnng story short. My nice little Honda needed a new transmission, $3000! Soooo it was pretty obvious that it was time to look for that new car! Merry Christmas to me! YAY/Bah humbug! (grrrr not exactly the most perfect timing!) Most people would be excited to get a new car. However, we weren't 100% ready, I knew I would get next to nothing for my Honda and the holidays were quickly approaching.

Car Shopping 101 with Kristin and Rob

Today, Rob and I agreed we need to start the process to look for a new car. I knew it was a blessing in disguise of our timing and I could technically go for at least one week without a car if I had to. With the college closed for a few days, I knew we could make do. So Rob and I went out to "just to look." Rob was very persistent (while driving to dealership #1), "We are just looking, I don't feel comfortable buying today." I agreed and since this was our 2nd huge joint purchase together (house was #1)- I knew that was probably the smart thing to do. So we started off by looking at the Kia dealership. My parents just bought a Kia in October and raved about it- so we decided it would be a great place to look. The salesman showed us some options close to our price range and asked if we wanted to test drive a silver Kia Sportage. Rob quickly said, "Yes" and off we went. After two minutes of Rob driving, he told me that this car was perfect and we should get it. My mouth dropped open- he is never a spontaneous buyer with huge purchases like this. We get back to the dealership and Rob was ready to start talking "numbers." Rob and I secretly chatted about our strategy while test driving, he would ask the "car questions" and I would be the negotiator. Again, I'm the bargin shopper at yard sales and craigslist- how difficult could a car be?!?

So I tested the waters a bit when they presented us with numbers..."I think you can do better." (Go Kristin! I felt so proud of myself). Well between negotiating back and forth and constantly calling my dad for advice/texting during the middle of all of this, there definitely comes a point when you become a bit greedy and I think I may have crossed that line a few times. When I finally was happy with the price and payment, I told him that if we threw in a second key beeper (don't know the proper name), we would sign today and it was a go. He goes, "I have to be honest, if you ask for another thing, I think may boss may say 'no' and walk away. You have already gotten us down as much as we can go with the price and interest rate. We're done." Well that shut me up pretty quick and I said, "Just another basic key is fine, we're good!"

Do I think we got a great car at a great price, I do think so. I always get so nervous making large purchases and just wanted to make sure we weren't being taken advantage of. I even pulled out the "I'm pregnant" card to see if we could soften them up a bit. The most important thing is that we now have a nice, safe car for Baby Schab. My boss was too funny when I told him I needed to use a personal day on Thursday to shop for cars. "Oh the little princess wants a new car and she isn't even here yet." LOL So true, she did move a lot when I was stranded on the side of the road and when we signed the paperwork. Hope she likes her new car!

I will post photos soon of our new Kia! Also, if anyone is in the market for a used car, I have a Honda that I can offer you for a GREAT price! (j/k) Unfortunately, Kia did not want used car that didn't have a working transmission, call me crazy but they are really missing out :-)

Baby Brain

So let me just start off this post with saying that I pride myself on being a very organized and detail oriented person. In a work environment that requires me to work on multiple events and projects at once, I have to give myself a pat on the back and say I think I do a great job keeping everything organized. I'm also amazing with dates! Again, in my line of work, my calendar is my best friend! Between scheduling meetings, booking venues and constantly working several months ahead on many items- I think I do a great job of keeping it all together. I also feel I'm amazing with keeping Rob and I organized as well. Whether it's sending out a birthday card out for family/friends or making sure all bills are paid on time, I've got my stuff together!

Well, not sure what has happened lately, but I think I'm suffering a tiny bit from "baby brain." At first when I heard about this, I thought- no way, I would never be a victim of this, do you know who you're dealing with? Well, I'm officially a victim of baby brain and of course Rob was there to witness it!

When you are pregnant, you will notice that the amount of items you need to "juggle" is amazing. Between scheduling monthly Dr appointments, blood tests, etc- there is a lot to remember! So today (or so I thought) I had my monthly Dr appointment. Due to some car problems (which will be covered in another post), I took a personal day off from work and Rob and I took advantage of our free day to go to the Dr appointment, finish Christmas shopping, go car shopping and grocery shopping for Christmas Eve dinner with my family. So at 9:30am, I told Rob, we need to leave now for my appointment. Another pet peeve of mine, I hate being late. With my appointment at 10AM, that gave us more than enough time to drive there and get there 10 minutes early to fill out any necessary paperwork.

With my pee sample in a zip lock bag, Rob and I walked into the office and I signed in. I felt a bit odd because the waiting room was packed and I felt as if everyone was staring at my zip lock bag. We sat down and started to chit chat about our "game plan" for the day. I also told him how excited I was to hear her heartbeat today and not so excited to weigh in. (come on people it's the holidays!) The nurse called my name and I went up thinking I had to fill out some paperwork. She goes, "Um, who is your appointment with today? We can't find you in the book." I go, "Uhhhhhh, I don't know?" Really Kristin?! Come on now, girl! You're more organized than this. "I know it was a female," I stammered. (I can feel my face getting warm at this point). "Well, we only have one doctor on call today and it is a male. Let me look you up in the computer.....(a few seconds later).... Did you know that your appointment was yesterday? You will need to reschedule." At this point, I turn back and as Rob is staring at me, he shakes his head and there is a huge smirk on his face. After we reschedule, I held up my ziplock bag and say, "Can I still give you this?" She was able to take it, but I would have to return with a new sample during my next appointment.

So Rob and I walk back to our car in silence. I felt as if I was doing the walk of shame through the waiting area with other patients staring at me. I kept saying over and over, "I can't believe I did this. I never miss appointments." Rob on the other hand was loving it and making little comments to push my buttons. "Babe, you know what I do when I have an appointment, I write it down on a calendar. (but I did I protested! just the wrong date). This just shows you are human and you ARE capable of messing up." I think he was proving a point, that the wife isn't ALWAYS right, like I always think I am.

The classic ending, I'm still trying to figure out how I could of done this and I exclaim, "This is just so weird, they never even tried to call me to say I missed my appointment!" So I whip out my phone and check my voicemail to prove my point to Rob......two new voicemails. Voicemail #1, "Hi Kristin, this is the York Women's Health Center calling. You missed your appointment and we were calling to re-schedule." YIKES!!!! At least I have an amazing husband who took me to Dunkin Doughnuts for breakfast and told me that everything would be fine.

So let this be a lesson for all ladies, even if you are the most organized person, you may not be able to escape Baby Brain. My next appointment is scheduled for Monday at 7:00PM- so if you notice me on facebook or at home just hanging out- kick my butt into gear! :-)

Baby Schab- 23 weeks!

I am 23 weeks! I feel great and still continue to grow! Some exciting developments...I definitely feel movement and even a few small kicks here or there. The "moving feeling" started around 18/19 weeks, but has become much more noticeable throughout the past few weeks. It is truly an amazing feeling and every time I feel 'her' I get even more excited! It is truly starting to sink in that she will be here in four months!!!

A lot of developments have been made over the course of the past few weeks, so I will try and recap as best as possible.

Nursery Update...
Furniture bought and delivered! We selected a white sleigh crib, matching changing station and a four drawer dresser. A preview of her bed set is below, I call the theme of her nursery, "sophisticated lady bugs." We selected paint color and will work on putting her nursery together after the holiday season. A big thank you to Grammy Summers for buying us the lady bug comforter set and a big thank you to Grandma Schab for purchasing our glider! We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents that are so excited about becoming grandparents :-)

Bust a move...

So I definitely love when Baby Schab moves in my belly...truly THE BEST feeling in the world. I can't help but say, "Ooooo hello baby" every time I feel her move. I'm not quite at the point where others can feel the movement, but I anticipate that will all change in the next few weeks. The other night when I was watching TV in bed, I felt a few kicks. I called Rob upstairs to feel, but she had stage fright and stopped once Daddy was around. I hope she kicks hard soon, poor Rob feels a bit neglected.

Food...
No weird cravings to report. I am happy to say I love the majority of all foods again. I'm back to loving spaghetti with meat sauce and will occasionally indulge in certain sweets (but I have to drink milk with it). I still hate eggs, but besides that, everything else is fine. I'm not really eating much more than I usually did. I think my weight gain is at 10-12lbs (we will find out the exact number in a few days). I usually have to close my eyes every time I step on the scale, what torture!!!


Don't make fun of my waddle!
There are definitely times when I feel like the cliche pregnant lady! There has been at least two times when Rob and I are out at stores and I catch him laughing at me. Apparently, I "waddle" slightly when I walk. There are also times when I need "assistance" getting up, too. Rob and I were watching TV and I went to get up and was like, "uh oh." I started laughing hysterically and said, "Can you help give me an extra nudge?" Classic story.... we were in bed one night and I asked him to give me a slight nudge to help me roll over because I was struggling a bit. The next thing I know, he is pushing me out of bed! I started yelling, "What are you doing???" He stopped and said, "Oh my god, I thought you needed to get up and use the bathroom (valid point since I average 4-5x/night). LOL I said, "Nope, just need to roll over a bit."


Got milk?!
I was home alone about one week ago sitting with Lexi on the couch in my PJ's when I looked down and noticed two wet marks. Yes, it happened already....I started leaking! I wasn't wearing a bra and I could feel it right away with just a t-shirt on. I googled right away and it turns out this can be quite normal. I am going to confirm with my Dr this week, but definitely an interesting way to start your day!


My new shopping obsession...
I'm officially obsessed with buying baby clothes! I have hit up my favorite consignment shops and have scored deals of the century. I must have bought her 75+ outfits (ok one order was a box full of 50 outfits for $20) and have paid less than $50 for everything. Trust me, everything is of the cutest taste- Gymboree, Old Navy, Gap Kids, Carter's, etc. She will be like her mommy, dressed in cute fashion at bargain prices!


Next up...
I have my monthly Dr appointment scheduled for this week and will learn more updates and the fate of my weight this week. Cross your fingers for good numbers! I will also post some belly shots later this week, too.

Girls, Meet Santa....

This past Saturday, we took the girls to visit with Santa. We have been "talking about Santa" all week with them and we knew they were so 'thrilled.' Originally, we wanted just the ladies to pose with Santa, I didn't dress well, do my hair or put make-up on. However, when Rob went to put Porscha on his lap, she couldn't even look at him and started to shake. So mom and dad jumped in and helped the girls pose. As you can see on the video, Porscha did warm up to Santa and even gave a few kisses. For the photos, we went to the York County SPCA and all profits would benefit the shelter. While we were there, we ran into Rich, Kelly and Abbie who came up to York that day. Abbie did a great job with Santa and this year marks her first Christmas with Kelly!

Thanksgiving/tree cutting/our tree

So I noticed I'm a bit "behind" blogging about life and baby updates, so I'll do my best to get caught up :-)

Thanksgiving was great! We were lucky enough to spend time with both families again this year. Rob and I hosted Thanksgiving for my family and we went to Long Island the next day to enjoy more fun with his family, grandparents and cousins.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Rob's mom hosted a benefit party in honor of Aunt Linda's fight against cancer. The night consisted of lots of food, dancing and socializing for an amazing cause! I think everyone was amazed that I was still able to "bust a move" on the dance floor, despite I was 5 months preggers! Baby Schab and I were having a blast dancing, even Daddy Schab joined me as well!

The following weekend, Rob and I returned to Long Island for the 20th annual tree cutting tradition. Every year, Rob's family, along with four other families, go up to CT to cut down trees. Following the tree cutting, they all gather afterwards for appetizers, dinner and fun.

Rob and I knew it wasn't practical to haul a tree from Long Island to PA, so he went out the following week to a tree farm in Gettysburg and cut down a tree for our house. He did an amazing job (as always) and I was a terrible decorator (as always). Call me crazy, I just don't have fun putting up lights and ornaments, so I kept "pretending" to do other things around the house. I did assist him by cooking an amazing meal and baking cookies. Maybe next year when Baby Schab arrives I will be a better helper :-)

Baby Schab is a.......... ?

Enjoy our gender reveal videos below!
(take a good look, Porscha makes an appearance in almost EVERY video LOL)

Video #1
Surprising the 'future' Summers Grandparents...
Scene- We gave them a gift bag with a "gift" inside that would either symbolize girl or boy. The bag included a balloon that said, "It's A Girl" and a pink bib.



Video #2
Surprising 'future' Great Grandma Summers and Aunt Kelly
Scene- We baked a cake and the middle had either a pink or blue middle...



Video #3
Surprising the 'future' Schab Grandparents and Aunt Danielle
Scene- We gave them a "word scramble" with her name and they had to come up with the answer.



Video #4
Surprising the Uncles
*they took some time, so there is part I and part II






More videos to come which include: future Great Grandma/Great Grandpa Kalman and aunts/uncles/cousins surprise.

19 weeks and the big reveal!

So this week marked 19 weeks and our second official ultra sound/gender reveal. Rob and I were absolutely thrilled to see Baby Schab's development and also to find if we were having a boy or girl! Our appointment was at 1PM on Monday and believe it or not- my morning flew! I didn't think it would, but thank god I was up against another deadline for a work project and therefore that served as a wonderful distraction for me. However, the whole drive there and the walk to the office, I was incredibly nervous. Whenever I get nervous, I have to use the bathroom, a terrible and annoying habit. Prior to them calling my name, I peed 2x. As we were walking back to the room, I asked the tech if I could use the bathroom again (#3). The tech couldn't have been any nicer during our whole appointment. She really took her time and went through each part of the body carefully pointing out parts such as the spine, brain, heart, eyes, etc. As she was checking over the brain/eye area- I thought I heard her make reference to 'her/she'. I brushed it off and didn't think much of it.

As she was getting closer to the "private area" she goes, girl you have a full bladder again. She made me get up off the table and pee again (#4). As she was checking over each section, she asked if we had names picked out. We told her, believe or not, we have a girls name picked out (Ashleigh Paige), but we know we're having a boy and haven't narrowed it down. A few minutes later, I casually asked, "So do you have any inkling of boy or girl?" She said, "I think you have a little Ashleigh in there." My heart melted on the spot. I gasped and go, "Oh my gosh are you sure?" Then I turned to Rob and said, "Honey are you ok with this? I am so sorry for thinking it was a boy, now you won't have anyone to play trains with." LOL No surprise here when Rob shrugged and goes, "I was going to be happy either way, I am just happy to know what paint color to buy now."

Well, before I got too excited, I made her really scan the "private area" and show me that it truly was a girl. Baby Schab was being a bit stubborn and wouldn't open their legs. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the legs did open and she pointed out "girl parts." The whole ultra sound appointment was beautiful. It was the best feeling in the world to finally refer to Baby Schab as a he or she. It has been so much having a conversation with Rob and saying things like, "When Ashleigh arrives or I think we should do her room in pink, etc., etc." For the record, I also used the bathroom (#5) after she completed our appointment...I think I have a serious problem!

Reflections...

I have always, always wanted a little girl. Ever since I was little, whenever we would play house or nursery, I would always have "girl" children. Prior to getting pregnant, I had a "vision." I know this sounds weird, but I even told my neighbor that for some reason I just felt in my heart that we would get pregnant right away, baby would be healthy and it would be a girl- that was my original gut instinct (I was right on the money with all three so far). However, for some odd reason after our first ultra sound appointment at 6 weeks- I convinced myself we were having a boy. I bought all boy clothes, picked out a boy bedding set and only would look at boy toys. Within a few hours of our appointment and learning Baby Schab was a girl, I was eagerly looking at nothing but Pink Pink Pink. She is going to bed our little spoiled princess. I am so excited to meet our little lady in April! Real recently, I was on the phone with Rob discussing plans on furniture for the nursery and I made reference to the fact how nice it is to know what we are having and how much easier it is now choosing items. He responded back by saying, "Although I agree, I wish we would have learned the sex two weeks before she arrived." Ummm, ok Rob and why? "Because Kristin, I really don't know how I am going to make it until then. I really want to meet my daughter now." Ohhhh tear jerker! Love my husband, he will make an amazing dad and will be just so sweet on our little girl.

A few commonly asked questions throughout the pregnancy so far...

1. Are you going to find out the gender? Have you ever met me? I am a PLANNER! I want everything to be PERFECT for Baby Schab- bedding, clothes, toys, etc. Yes, we found out and yes we will happily share the news with family/friends and even strangers :-)

2. Will you reveal the name? Yes- mostly to just friends and family before she is born. I commend anyone who can wait- but we felt comfortable sharing the name once we knew 100% of what we wanted.

3. What name choices do we have? For girls- we loved Ashleigh Paige right away. Other top choices (and possible baby #2 or #3 names) Taylor and Brooklyn. Boy name choices (here were my top 4, although Rob and I didn't see eye to eye on all of them): Penn Thomas, Brody Penn, Ethan Penn and Robbie Thomas.

4. Why Ashleigh? Have you ever heard of a little show called the Hills? Back in the day, I was 'mildly' obsessed with this show. During one of the episodes, a bikini designer teamed up with LC to present a swim suit fashion show. Her name and bikini line....Ashley Paige. From that moment, I just looooveeed that name. We did change the spelling a bit to make it more unique for us, but I just think it is a beautiful name.

5. Have you been "eating a lot more"- one of my favorite questions asked by one of my male bosses. I can't really say I have been. I feel I'm eating the same amount of food before I was pregnant. I do not crave any type of sweets and would prefer items like- chicken salad, soups, salads, pizza, raw veggies, peanut butter sandwiches, bagels, muffins, granola bars, cereal, etc.

6. How do you feel? Ever since Week #14/#15- I'm a new woman and I love life! I feel great and have so much energy! I'm the little energizer preggers lady constantly running around now.

7. The big question....how will Porscha and Lexi react to a new baby? Based off of other observations and interactions with kids- I see them doing just fine. I have my predictions of how this will play out and I'm curious to see if I'm right. I see Porscha as being more of the observer. I can see her ears go back when the baby would cry and watching me during diaper changes and feedings. I could see her walking up to the baby and giving her a giant lick and saying lets play. I can see Porscha also just sitting and staring at the baby. I always find Porscha in our back yard sitting and staring at the children next door and her tail wagging wildly with happiness. Lexi may view baby schab as competition for mommy's attention. I don't see her being hostile, but rather, don't forget about me, love me, hi mom! I can envision her jumping up on my lap as I'm holding the baby and trying to compete for love and attention. Lexi is a huger licker/kisser and I can see her squeezing her little head in between my arms and the baby and wanting to get in on the action. Overall, I think they'll do great with their new roommate.

8. Have you felt the baby move? YES! At first I didn't want to believe it actually was the baby, because I didn't want to seem crazy for thinking I felt something. However, after doing some research and catching up in my pregnancy books, my suspicions were confirmed! The fluttery/pop corn like feeling in my stomach was definitely her moving. The other night, Rob and I were watching the AMA's and during a performance by Christina A. and I felt her moving away! If this is any preview into the future- she will take after her mother and serve as the life of the party when the music plays! I think my little gal wants to be a dancer :-)

19 weeks