Little Updates

Well, I finished out the Fall quarter strong. I got a 4.0! Very exciting for me. And probably the last time that will be happening for a while. WSU graduation and family vacation was a lot of fun. It snowed about 6 inches while we were at Lake Chelan. Thank goodness for 4WD vehicles! And thank goodness for vehicles with DVD players! That definitely made all of the driving more bearable. We even played the Wii in the car.

Returning from vacation meant returning to stress. I am still pretty overwhelmed trying to figure everything out on my own. It's going to be such a stressful time trying to adjust to having a new baby with everything else going on. I am looking forward to maternity leave and being able to have some quiet time with the baby to adjust and get used to a new routine.

Looking forward to Christmas at my sister's and hanging out with my sister's in-laws on Christmas Eve. Ony a few more hours of work to make it through tomorrow, then on to a nice (but super busy) 3 day weekend. This weekend my sister and I will be cleaning and getting the carpets cleaned in preparation for the babies. It's going to be a shock for Mike how little space we have now with all of the baby stuff. I don't know where all of his Army stuff is going to go once he gets back, but hopefully we will have a house by then.

That's all for now...will post pictures soon.

Washingtonians are Weird.

It's so cold!! Today I woke up to a nice 10 degree morning. The high for today? A nice 28 degrees. It is sunny though, which I guess is nice. I would gladly take some clouds and rain for some warmer weather though. The family is heading to Pullman this weekend for WSU graduation. It was -2 degrees there today. Then we are heading to Lake Chelan for a few days. High temp? 25 degrees. Why do we pick the coldest part of the state for vacation!?

Only ten more weeks until the arrival of baby Amaro. Everyday life is slowly becomming more difficult. I find that taking a hot bath at night helps me move the next morning. My back and hips are suffering. I am only 5'4" and have a short mid-section, so the baby is growing straight out. It has made things painful to say the least, and sleep is a luxury! Let's just say I am ready for this baby to come out now!

Today was the memorial for the Lakewood officers that were killed last week. It was insane seeing 2500+ police officers lined up on I-5 in a 3 hour, 10 mile procession. I am watching the memorial right now on TV. It's sad that such a tragedy happened so close to home.

That's all for now!

11 More Weeks to Go!

Wow time has flown by! I had a great Thanksgiving with the family. On Saturday, my sister, niece and I went to get a Christmas tree and spent the rest of the day decorating the tree and baking cookies!! It was a long day, but so much fun. I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner. My sister found out she is having another girl! So our baby boy will be the only boy around here! I am getting bigger by the day, and not liking it. I can't wait to feel like myself again. If that is even possible. Two weeks left of school and then I get 4 weeks off. I am definitely looking forward to the break!



Peanut got a much needed hair cut



I am enormous.



My niece, Mila...hard to imagine a cuter kid!!

Stress and Hormones are Winning!

I had my 1 hour gestational diabetes test last and I failed! Because I don't have any risk factors, it's probably nothing, but I have been here at the lab at St. Joe's Hospital for the last 4 hours doing the second portion of the test. Hopefully all comes back normal. If it doesn't, I will have to check my blood sugar four times a day for the next 3 months. NO FUN! And it's likely a hormonal imbalance caused by...what else...STRESS!

Will update more later and try to put up some new pictures!

Busy, Busy!!

What a busy week it has been. Time is really flying by now! I had another conference this week, which was actually really good. I attended and the Military Kids and Families Summit as a representative for the VA and also got to attend as a military wife. It was a great 8 hours of networking and learning and I am really glad I was able to be a part of it.

School has been going well, but is keeping me very busy. I have some pretty big projects coming up, so my weekends have been filled with research and group meetings. I took today off to go shopping in Seattle with my sister, which was awesome. And I was able to get my Christmas shopping all done.

Mike and I have picked a name!! But we aren't sharing...yet. I went to Michael's and bought some letters for his room. I spent the last few nights watching TV and painting. So here is a hint for you all!



I know...not very helpful!!


I also finally got some Cougar gear for the baby. Go Cougs!



No USC baby around here!


That's about it for now!

Our Ridiculous Peanut

Oh Thank God for Weekends!

Had a rough day! There was a big storm this morning, so driving to work was a nightmare. I got to work and was there for a few hours when I started feeling funny. Next thing I knew I was on the floor! My blood pressure dropped really fast and caused me to collapse. Luckily I didn't go all the way out! I had such a long and busy day at work and was happt to finally get off...until I hit I-5 and a 2 and a half hour drive home!! I finally got to my sister's to pick up Peanut and thought the day couldn't get any worse. I greeted my niece and picked her up to give her a hug...and she peed on me. PEED! Needless to say, I am happy to finally be home!!

More to come...

An Update From Rainy Washington

The weather here really turned in the last week. No more sunshine! All of the trees are turning color and the leaves are falling. It's been so pretty! I don't even mind the rain, it makes everything look so fresh. I have slowly been gathering baby things, but not a lot. I have been stocking up on diapers and wipes. A friend of mine, who is due the same week, already has her nursery set up! Am I falling behind? I figure I have plenty of time for all of that. I am looking forward to the hollidays and have already started the Christmas shopping. Thanksgiving is planned (my sister and I are planners!) and our family vacation is set to go. We will be heading to WSU graduation in early December and will stop in Lake Chelan for a few days for some R&R. It's going to be snowy and cozy and I can't wait!!

I talked to Mike yesterday. He is still doing good. Not much news to report there. But I guess no news is good news!!

I have 16.5 weeks to go!! The baby is moving like crazy and I can see my belly move when he does. It's pretty crazy to watch.


Saying hi to daddy at 24 weeks.


I gave Peanut a bath this weekend. He was so unhappy, but he looked so cute!



Mad Peanut!!

One More Week Down

I need to get better at updating! Not too much news to report. I have been working hard to get my school work done, though I am seriously lacking in motivation this quarter. I finally got my maternity leave figured out (so much paperwork!!) and Mike and I are working on a name for the baby. My sister sold my treadmill this weekend and I used the money to go buy some stuff for the baby. Babies are expensive! I also got to Skype with Mike on Saturday, which was pretty cool. It was nice to be able to see him and not just talk to him. Here are some pictures!!

4 Weeks Down!!

It's hard to believe Mike has already been gone for a month. Time is really flying by. I am not sure if it is flying by for him, but it definitely is for me!! I started class again on Tuesday. I love school, but it's really hard to get back into the swing of things after having 6 weeks off. I am finding it hard to get motivated to write my papers (though who really wants to write an organizational analysis or a grant proposal?). It's nice having class to distract me though. Just one more thing to keep me occupied!

Mike was able to call again this morning. He seems to be doing pretty well. Things are a lot different than they were last time around. This can be seen as both good and bad. We'll see how things go in the next few weeks though!! And he got to put in his leave preference today, so chances are pretty good he will make it home for the birth. We are trying to decide on a boy name. At least we have the middle name and last name figured out!!

I had my anatomy ultrasound on Friday. Everything looked really good. The baby is measuring a little on the larger side (yikes!), so let's hope he slows his growing just a bit. I am hoping for a nice 7-pounder. He was camera shy and didn't want to show his face. He kept turning his face away and when he finally did turn it toward us, he would put his little hand in front so we couldn't see him. He was taunting us!! We got some nice pictures of his feet though!! Here are the highlights:

The little guy's left foot.

Definitely not shy when it came time to show his gender!

I am getting bigger everyday. Official weight gain is at 12 pounds so far. I did really well to start, but it is getting a lot harder to resist the urge for cheeseburgers and pizza. Hopefully I can make it through the next 18 weeks without gaining another 50 pounds!!

Baby belly at 22 weeks.

In other news, still no dishwasher. I have actually gotten used to washing my dishes by hand, something I haven't had to do since my parents got a dishwasher when I was 16! I guess you don't realize you miss it until you don't have it. Hopefully it will get fixed next week. Weather is getting cold and we are already seeing snow it parts of the state...I am hoping for as little snow as possible this winter...cross your fingers!!

I Am Being Tested

This week was not off to the greatest start. I have been so super busy with daily life stuff and I am micromanaging my time so I make sure I don't forget anything. I was pretty excited today because it only took an hour to get home. Getting home before 6pm is a luxury for me. I figured I would get some chores done. As much as Peanut has been driving me insane lately, I am really glad I had him tonight!! I loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on and about 5 minutes later Peanut was in the kitchen barking like crazy, so I went in to investigate (yell at him). Low and behold, the dishwasher was flooding my kitchen. Fabulous. With everything I have been dealing with recently, I just completely lost it. I spent the next half hour trying to sop up all of the water and scoop the remaining water out of the dishwasher. Hopefully the handy man can come fix it tomorrow. So Peanut saved me. Briefly. Because then he went straight to the kitchen rug and peed on it. UGH. I just have to remind myself that things could be worse...

Holy Cow Time Is Flying!

I can't believe it is October already!! And more importantly, I am half-way done with pregnancy!! I can't say that it has been fun. I am not going to be one of those women that enjoys the experience. My back hurts, my knees hurt, and easy tasks like taking out the trash and checking the mail are getting a lot harder!

On a happier note, I got to talk to Mike yesterday and today. I know I shouldn't get used to him calling, because pretty soon, who knows when I will hear from him. But it's nice getting to talk to him and act like life is normal for a few moments.

Here is my 20 weeks picture...starting to get a lot bigger!! And yes...the baby is representing the Cougs already!!

Getting bigger!!

Some Days I Just REALLY Want To Give Up!

Today was a trying day. I have had a cold for about 6 days now and I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping. Today I felt pretty nauseated and I was still really congested. I tried to take a bath last night, but the water pipe broke and I had no hot water. I made it through the day and was looking forward to going home. Unfortunately, traffic was a nightmare and it took me 2 hours to get home. When I finally made it home, I got to see the mess Peanut made. He chewed up a potty pad...pretty typical...and also chewed a hole in the carpet. Days like this just make me want to throw in the towel. And I can't pick up the phone and call Mike and vent to him anymore. I got to talk to him for a few minutes yesterday, which will hold me over until he can call again...hopefully tomorrow!! Now I just need to feel better!!

Today's Reason Why I Miss Mike...

Who will kill the spiders? I have quite a few very large neighbors at the moment. I am afraid to go out onto the balcony and I have to inspect the front door before I leave. They are huge and nasty and I am hoping they don't find their way indoors!!

Ew ew ew!!

I realized I didn't update on my latest OB appointment. I went in on Friday and all is well with the baby. He (or she) was moving around a lot, so the nurse had a hard time finding the heartbeat, but when she did, it was very strong!! Baby has been moving around a lot lately. The anatomy ultrasound is scheduled for the 9th of October, so we will finally know what we are having!!

Mike has a pillow that he always sleeps on every night. Ever since he left, Peanut has claimed the pillow as his own. However, in the past few days, Peanut has claimed a new belonging. Mike bought the baby a blanket before he left and slept with it for a few weeks so it would smell like him. Peanut thinks the blanket belongs to him now.

Peanut laying on "his" blanket.

Pizza is done! That's my cue to end it here!

Long weekend!!

This weekend was full of things to do, but I was very productive! Saturday my dad came out and fixed the oil leak in Mike's car and my sister and I went to the Puyallup Fair, which is always fun!! We took Mila with us and she loves looking at all the animals. We also eat a lot!!

I wanna know how he got in there.

My adorable niece, Mila.

Delicious strawberry shortcake.

What a cute cow.

Mila learned to milk a cow.

The goat ate the poster.

Mike was able to call me while I was at the fair. I only got to talk to him for a few minutes, but it was good to hear from him. Mila told me that she really really likes Mike and is always asking where he is. It's pretty cute.

I went to Ikea after the fair to get a new bed frame since Mike broke the one we had. He says he didn't, but somehow only HIS side of the frame was broken. I got a metal frame this time. Hopefully it can withstand Mike's belly flopping on the bed.

I put the bed frame together this morning and took Peanut to get a much needed haircut. He looks pretty cute. We also enjoyed a BBQ at my sister's house. Such a long weekend, and I am not ready to go back to work yet, but lucky for me, I start part time this week!!

We can finally see his pretty face!

Some new stuff to look at...

Not much new to report. Mike was able to call for a few minutes today. He is off to a shooting range for the next few days. In the mean time, here are some pictures of a few of our first baby purchases and my 18 week belly!

I thought my belly was supposed to get bigger, not my butt!

Baby towels!

Mike gets pro teams, I get college teams!!

We have added a registry at Target in addition to the one at Babies-R-Us. Hopefully in three weeks we will have more gender-specific stuff to add to it!

Ohhhhh...I guess it's time for an update.

Wow. What a week. I finally dropped off Mike at 3:30am on Monday morning, turned around and took Ray and Kristen to the airport and then headed off to work running on two hours of sleep. I am not sure how I made it through the day. Mike called me around 10am saying they were about to take off. He called again around 4pm letting me know he landed in Maine safely and was about to head off to Germany.

Then I get a call at about 5:30pm. I assumed this was the "I am about to take off" call, but then I heard "you won't believe this." Really? Shock me. He said that apparently they barely made it off the runway at McChord here in Tacoma. The plane they left in was never inspected before they left. When they were about to leave Maine for Germany, they found out that the plane did not pass airport inspection and was unsafe to fly!! The guys had to stay the night in Maine (in a crappy hotel that THEY had to pay for). They finally took off Tuesday afternoon and arrived in Germany late last night. They made it to Kuwait early this morning. Phew!!!!

As far as I am concerned...I am doing pretty good. I have been coping pretty well with the situation. Work and my internship are keeping be busy, and I have been cleaning and organizing the apartment now that all of Mike's Army stuff is out of here!!

I will post new pictures sometime this week!

The day Mike was SUPPOSED to leave...

Yesterday Mike was supposed to leave for Iraq. Ray and Kristen came down from Alaska to see the guys off and we all headed to base at 10:30am expecting that they would leave at 10:30pm. The guys weren't allowed to leave post, so we had to stay on base all day. The families had to leave at 7pm. When 6pm rolled around, we were informed that the flight was being postponed until the following morning and the families could stay until 11pm. Then 10:30 rolled around and we were informed that the flight was delayed again and we could stay until 4am. I was pretty fed up and I was tired; we had spent 15 hours on base. I decided at 2pm that I just couldn't hold out any longer and Mike and I said our goodbyes.

I got in my bar and made it about 1/2 a mile down the road when I see red and blue flashing lights behind me. I was getting pulled over. I was a complete mess from crying and these teenage military police were doing nothing to make it easier. They had pulled me over for a headlight being out, hoping I was also drunk. No such luck...they let me go.

I made it home at 2:30am and tried to get some sleep, which didn't work out so well. Around 8:30am I get a call from Mike, expecting him to say goodbye one more time before he took off. Instead, he asked me to come pick him up because the flight had once again been moved, this time to Monday morning. Ugh.

This weekend was an emotional roller coaster and I am pretty sick of the Army right now. But here are some pictures from out night:

Ray, Mike, Peanut, Beaudoin and Rebele.

Mike, Abad and Beaudoin being cool.

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Mike getting his gun squared away.

PS

I fixed the comment problem, so you should be able to post now!

New Baby Pictures!

I finally got them scanned in. So here is baby at 16 weeks:

Baby was moving around a lot!

This is a nice profile shot.

Waving hello...

They think it's a boy...not sure for 3 weeks though!

My New Ring!!

I had an ultrasound yesterday and Mike was able to come with me this time. Looks like all is well! Baby is growing and growing and seems to be perfectly healthy. I will scan the pictures in this weekend and post them. In the meantime, you can look at the new ring Mike got me!! I am so in love with it!!! Now he just has to get one to replace the one he lost in the lake on the 4th of July!

Baby Stuff

I had to buy my first round of maternity clothes this weekend. I still fit into my normal jeans and some of my tops, but they are starting to get uncomfortable. I was a little depressed about having to buy maternity clothes!! Motherhood Maternity has some cute stuff and my sister and mom got me a bunch of gift cards for my birthday, so Mike and I headed there yesterday and I got some new clothes. The jeans are comfy! I might have to wear them all the time! Here is the official 15 week baby bump!!

15 weeks!

I was getting depressed on Friday because I was looking at pictures of other women who were 15 weeks on this website and some of them looked so tiny! But I guess everyone is different. We haven't bought much baby stuff yet. I had Mike buy a blanket that he can sleep with for the next 2 weeks and I am going to seal it in a bag until baby comes, that way he has something that smells like daddy. I also started our registry at babies-r-us. I don't have a lot on there yet, but I am slowly adding stuff. The registry is under my name (Kara Walker) or co-registrant (Mike Amaro). One thing I did buy though was a diaper bag! So excited about it!!

Go Cougs!!

Last Vacation of the Summer...

We headed up to Port Angeles this weekend to celebrate my birthday. My parents have a house up there on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They have had it since 1983 and we used to go up there all of the time. Since we are grown and so busy, we only get up there a few times a year. It was so nice to get away for a weekend and relax! I took a ton of pictures, so here are some of the highlights:

Mike on a log.

The beach.

Puppy love.

Mike getting his fishing pole ready. He says he caught a fish, but I never saw the alleged fish.

The sunset.

Peanut in his sweater.

The tide pools.

A cool rock.

A crabby crab.

A jelly fish.

Mila poking the jelly fish.

I wish I could post all of the pictures. It was such a fun weekend! Now it's back to the real world and all that comes with it. Boo!

Bummer!

No new ultrasound pictures!! But in two weeks I might have some new ones to post. Tomorrow we will head up to Port Angeles for the weekend to relax at the beach and celebrate my birthday. I am looking forward to ice cream cake!! Other than that...it's life as usual!

Poor Peanut...

Little peanut got neutered today. He also had a little hernia that got repaired. He is not a happy camper right now. He looks so sad and mad. Poor little guy!! It's life as usual for us. I finished up the quarter on Tuesday and will have 5 weeks off until the next quarter begins. Mike is still doing his Army thing and we are counting down the days until he leaves. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow and hopefully will have some new ultrasound pictures to share!! I bought a diaper bag too, my first baby purchase! I am not a fan of looking at baby stuff because it's either too pink or too blue. So I have decided my colors will be green and brown with blue accents if it's a boy and pink if it's a girl. But my diaper bag is black and rocks the WSU Cougar logo. So excited!! We are looking forward to celebrating my birthday this weekend on the beach in Port Angeles. Hopefully the weather stays nice!

Welcome!!

Since we are so crazy busy, I thought this would be the easiest way to keep everyone posted on Mike's time in Iraq, my busy life, and the progress of our baby! I hope to be able to post a couple of times a week so friends and family...far and near...can keep up to date!! And I will post pictures when I can, especially of my growing belly. Right now Mike and I are enjoying our last bit of time together. This is the first weekend we have been able to relax in a long time! We are enjoying some relaxation...and some pizza! Next weekend we will be heading to Port Angeles to celebrate my birthday...the big 2-7! More to come later...

Thanks for stopping by!