33 weeks of Progress!

And then there were 3...

October 7, 2012:  This is the day that I took my SIXTH pregnancy test, and it finally showed up POSITIVE!! I think after 5 negative tests most people would have just accepted that they weren't pregnant. But, I KNEW I was pregnant. I could just feel it! I just wanted to cry when I saw the second line appear on the test. One of my happiest moments. Unfortunately Stephan wouldn't get home until late and I had to go to bed early because I had work the next day. So, being the impatient person that I am when it comes to sharing good news, I made signs and put them all over the bathroom because I couldn't wait to tell him! :] --- And thus started our long journey...

The not so fun stuff...Pregnancy Symptoms

1. Nausea/Vomiting: From weeks 9-17 I was so sick! Luckily I had afternoon/evening sickness rather than morning sickness. This made getting up at 5 for work and clinicals much easier. I still had absolutely no energy, but I wasn't puking up my guts before the sun had risen. Gotta look at the bright side! :] But eventually the nausea went away, and I finally enjoyed eating again! I can't even explain how wonderful it is to not gag as I make dinner.  

2. Super Human Sense of Smell: I don't know why, but Stephan was fascinated by this symptom. I, however, hate it! Makes the nausea part so much worse. 

3. Migraines: I can't WAIT to be able to take Excedrin again...

4. Cravings: French Fries and Salad. Weirdest combination, but these were the only two foods that actually sounded good for the longest time. Now, I just want food. Period. At 33 weeks I am starving all of the time. You would think that I would be the size of an elephant right now, but luckily I have a little piggy inside me eating all of the extras :] 

5. Food Aversions: Broccoli was the only specific thing that I couldn't eat for a long time. However, anything I ate or cooked when I was super nauseous now makes me gag! Unfortunately for Stephan, 90% of those dishes are his favorite foods! He's still pretty bitter about that because I don't make them as often now. He says that the next time I am pregnant I can only make/eat foods that he doesn't like. Luckily for me that list is pretty long! :] 

6. No Sleep:  Body pillows help, but I can't remember the last time I slept for more than 2 hours straight. I wake up throughout the night to change positions because my hips are on fire. I feel like I'm 90 years old with arthritis! I think this the Lord's way of preparing me to never get a good night's sleep again! However, since I'm awake a lot I get to hear Stephan talk in his sleep more! I haven't laughed this much in a long time! He says some pretty crazy stuff. I've started documenting our "conversations" so I'll be posting them in a future post! 

The things you look forward to! ....

1. The first heart beat!: I thought that I was excited when found out that we were pregnant, but nothing compares with hearing the first heart beat. After having a miscarriage, hearing that little thump thump thump was the best sound I have ever heard. I of course lost it, and I think Stephan finally let himself believe that we were actually having a baby. It was a good day. 

2. Weekly Development updates: I loved going onto thebump.com and seeing what new fruit or vegetable or baby's size compared to. I don't really know how a baby compares to a Rutabaga, but it was fun to see the development anyways! 

2. Boy or Girl??: I found out quickly that 20 weeks is a LONG time! We were both so anxious to find out our baby's gender, so of course it went by so slow... January 28th rolled around and we went in for our first ultrasound. Stephan went in with hopes of a boy that he could take shooting and teach how to pee on a tree. I went in dreaming of bows and frilly dresses! Apparently during the ultrasound the tech kept saying "his head" and "see his arm there", so Stephan thought she had seen the gender and we were having a boy! I didn't even notice because I was captivated by our tiny little squirmer! As suggested by my sister-in-law, Aimee, I drank a glass of orange juice before coming so the baby would be moving enough to see the gender. However, we have an already active child, so orange juice was like crack! She did not stop moving once. This made finding the gender a challenge, but our tech was prepared. She finally got a couple shots...and to Stephan's surprise (and at first disappointment) we found out that we're having a GIRL!! Brooklyn Patrick officially made her debut. I couldn't have been happier. And although Stephan was angry at the tech for getting his hopes up, I think he's pretty excited to have a daughter. I know she's going to have him wrapped around her little finger from day one. He has already nick named her "Brooke" and asks regularly how "his two girls" are doing. :] I love seeing him get more and more attached! It's rare to see his sensitive side, but he does have one even if he keeps it hidden. :] 

It's a girl!! 

Gender Reveal Cake Pops

3. Kicks, Flutters, and Hiccups: The first time I felt an unmistakable kick was on January 5th. I had just come home from work and sat down on the couch. All of a sudden I felt this weird little popping feeling in my lower abdomen. I have to admit that was a pretty weird experience. I almost felt like I had an alien inside me or something. (That's what I get for having a husband that LOVES Sci-Fi). From that moment on her kicks and little flutters came more frequently and got stronger. Now whenever I sit down by people they just stare at my stomach because my bump is constantly shifting and moving. You can see every kick and move that she makes!  I love it! Probably one of my favorite things about being pregnant! I also recently started feeling her hiccup. At first I thought it was my abdominal pulse, but then it became irregular and I don't have any heart problems. I of course went online and found out that I was feeling her hiccup! Adorable, and a good sign of neurological development! 

4. A Growing BUMP! 

So I am 33 weeks now! In 3 days I'll be a college graduate. In 4 weeks I'll be done with the NCLEX and officially an RN. AND in 7 weeks we will finally get to meet Brooklyn! It has been a fun and exciting journey, and I just can't wait to hold her in my arms!!

Cathryn's "Craft Corner"

 Ever since I started my new job at the hospital I have had some MUCH needed HOBBY TIME! Nursing school doesn't leave much free time, so I have had several projects that I have wanted to complete but just no time. So as you can imagine I have RELISHED in my oh so rare rare and glorious free time. And by relish, I mean I've been doing all sorts of crafts! Hope you enjoy my creativity as much as I have! [And I mean that in the most humble way possible :)]

Here are the curtains that I made for our kitchen. I bought this material last summer, and I am just now making them. It actually worked out better, in this case, that I didn't have time to make them before because we have moved TWICE since then. Besides altering some clothes and making pillows, this was my first real sewing project, complete with button holes and sewing on buttons with my WONDERFUL sewing machine. The button hole were a bit of a challenge, but I think everything turned out pretty well if I say so myself! :] 

                                  Material:  Printed: $5.00 (on clearance! usually, 15.00 a yd)

                                                 Solid: $ .85

Buttons: FREE! (They are the spare buttons that came with a jacket I have) 

Total Cost: $5.85!! 

 
 

Have you ever noticed that the only mail you get are Christmas Cards and BILLS? Well I have, and I have the hardest time keeping track of them. I copied this idea from my friend Patricia Shelley, who is ultra creative! If you can't tell from the picture, these are window shutters that have been painted. They are PERFECT for holding mail, pictures, and I guess anything small that you want to keep track of!

Shutters from the DI: $3.00

Paint: $1.06

Total Cost: $4.00!!

After marrying Stephan the number of birthdays that I need to remember suddenly doubled! And if you know me, that is not good. I have the WORST memory ever, aside from Stephan whose memory is surprisingly worse than mine. [not a good combo] Luckily I spotted the idea for this little gem on PINTEREST! If you haven't discovered this website yet, I suggest you check it out. I have found so many great ideas and recipes. It's amazing how CREATIVE people are! Anyways, this is a birthday plaque. I'm not finished yet, but when it is done it will have the names and dates of each family members birthdays on wooden circles that will hang below their birthday month. [the letters across the bottom stand for each month] I just stumbled upon cheap enough wooden circles at Hobby Lobby, so hopefully it will be done by the end of the week!  

One hobby that I really enjoy and that I am still developing is painting. I LOVE it, but it is a self-taught talent that is definitely a work in progress. Below is a painting that I started about a month ago. I'm kind of slow because I want it to be perfect. When it's done it will be a red flower that I'll hang in our living room. I really like being able to decorate our apartment with homemade art and crafts! It's definitely more fulfilling than going out and buying someone else's over-priced work. However, I can still acknowledge and appreciate how much more talented others' pieces are. 

Canvas: $5.00

Paint: $.00 [I already had the paint so I don't count the cost]

Total Cost: $5.00!! 

This was my 2nd attempt at curtains. This valance is in our bathroom. Our towels are green and we have a brown shower curtain. I'm already tired of the brown and green color scheme and would LOVE to just buy a different color of towels, but since I'm decorating on a budget I settled on buying some fabric to make a valance. MUCH cheaper decision and it really dressed up our bathroom. I'm considering modifying the valance, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

Material: $2.00

Thread: $1.00

Brown ribbon: $.00 [left over from making my bouquet!]

Total Cost: $3.00!!

This bookshelf was made by my dad when he was in the 8th grade! Which means it is about 50 years old!! Pretty much an antique :] Luckily my brother Scott moved back out here from Pennsylvania, so he was able to stop in Indiana and pick it up for me. It was painted white, but that didn't match my living room. So I decided to go black. And since flat black paint is $8.00 cheaper than glossy black paint I went with the antique paint look. It actually turned out really well! I used a stiff paint brush so I was able to create the antique look without much sanding. I don't know if you can see it, but there are white brush lines that allow the white paint to show through. I'm not explaining it well, but it actually looks really good! 

Bookshelf: Free 90 Free! 

Paint: $10.00

Brush: $1.00

Total Cost: $11.00!! [I don't know if I should count the whole cost of the paint though because I basically still have a gallon of paint left.]

 

Stay tuned. More crafts to come! 

Stewart Falls

A couple weeks ago Stephan and I went snowshoeing to Stewart Falls. Stephan was a little hesitant to go because he said snowshoeing is harder than hiking, so why would he want to go? Haha. I finally talked him into it, and he ended up having a blast! You can see from our pictures that it was absolutely GORGEOUS! The temperature was perfect, the sun was shining, and the snow capped mountains were breathtaking. It was so nice to get outside and not think about school for a couple of hours. Plus, (best part), it was FREE! Rach let us borrow her snowshoes so we didn't have to rent them, which was soo nice of her! It was great. Gotta love the fun, free dates! 

I love this picture! 

Frozen Stewart Falls. It was cool to see the giant cracks in the waterfall. It would have been even cooler to see a big chunk break off! 

My new hat, complements of Gen!

Picnic lunch of cheese & crackers, nutragrain bars, and fruit snacks. [we spare no expense :)]

The Tales and Adventures of 2011

         2011 was great to us. Just a little recap: 

                                                          
                                 We got engaged on February 6

and married on April 23rd. 

Two days after our wedding we spent 24 hours STRAIGHT moving into our tiny little apartment. It took forever, but we eventually found a spot for our endless truck loads of stuff. [Stephan didn't realize how much his belongings would multiply when he got married. He definitely underestimated the amount of clothes a girl needs to have a complete wardrobe. :) ] 

Lucy enjoying the view. [only place that our tv fit... right in front of the bed! :)] 

After unpacking, we began our summer adventures with our honeymoon in Florida. --Best vacation ever!! [ you can see pics of the honeymoon/wedding in earlier posts ]. 

        

  The rest of the summer was filled with....

          40 hour work weeks. This is what Stephan's job entailed...Grounds                 crew -- serious business.

  nightly walks around campus and Provo

trips to Ferron, UT

A family get-together in Albequerque, NM (all thanks to the Anderson family!)

Lucy and I couldn't stay awake that trip. We fell asleep literally EVERY TIME we sat down in the car. 

hikes and bonfires in the mountains, 

lots of shooting (of course), 

and a final shebang in Zions.

         What a summer! Then reality hit, and we were back to school. Stephan had a fairly relaxing semester (minus a ridiculous Political Science class) while I hit the books hard. It was definitely an adjustment getting back into nursing, but I loved every minute of it! My clinical group/instructor were AWESOME! 

We had a blast, and I learned a ton. Stephan finished his GE's (what a relief!), and got ready to dive into his new major in the coming Winter semester. 

          

         After finals we jumped on a plane and left Provo as fast as we could. Evansville, Indiana had never looked so good! We were so fortunate to spend Christmas with both of our families. We are really grateful for the sacrifices everyone made to be there and for our parents and the huge effort they made to accommodate SO MANY PEOPLE! It's amazing how much our families have grown. 

 Just the 3 of us

Patrick Family Christmas Dinner

Lunch with Grandmother Schauss

Family bonfire at the Patricks

The Schauss boys + a few additions 

Thai food extravaganza

Attempted Schauss Family Picture. [No one was satisfied with any of them!]

         All the little ninos running around really made Christmas a delight. They have all gotten so BIG! It was great to finally be an aunt and uncle in person for a time.  

Me and Lucy. We have missed having her so close! 

"Grandpa Schauss" playing with the grandkids. 

Lucy is not one to keep her feelings inside. :] 

Cutest little cat I've ever seen! [Gotta love that little red nose]

Me and Maci. That little stinker is always smiling! 

Can't keep the kids entertained? Just make a 3 foot long straw to keep them occupied! 

Cute little Jackson. 

Hadley wishing she had gotten a light-up hat for Christmas too!

Addie meeting Great Grandmother Schauss for the first time! 

Christmas activities included... 

Gingerbread houses 

[Can't decide if this is a cry or one of Maci's funny smiles :)]

trips to the Zoo

duck feeding

 tales of the Beet Farm from uncle John

 Tater Hole Tourneys

[i don't have any pictures of these "intense" face-offs, so if you do, let me know! -- thanks]

and of course LOTS and LOTS of delicious FOOD! 

[Apparently, this was "the perfect plate"]

           2011 went out with a bang. Stephan and I made the fam Thai food. We had the usual Tater Hole tournament. And Dan made his famous Cherry Chocolate Chunk ice cream! 

We knew we were getting old though when we couldn't wait for 12 AM to come just so we could go to bed. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Bring on 2012!!