"Are you thirsty?"

Hello all! So tomorrow I am 13 weeks along and it is amazing how much better I feel now that the first trimester is over. People kept telling me that I would start to feel like me again once I got through the first 12 weeks. Let me tell you...they were SO right! I am starting to get my energy back and just generally feeling a lot better.

Today Gabe and I went to the grocery store (which I have not done in a while) and about halfway through my shopping, I looked into our basket and started laughing at myself. I am not exaggerating when I tell you I had at least 10 different kinds of beverages. I think I grabbed about 6 kinds of juice alone! I thought to myself, "I wonder how long it will take for Gabe to make a comment about this." So, Gabe comes along after he was on another aisle picking out his cereal. (Because I never know what he wants in this department, he picks it out. I swear every time we go, he gets a different kind..very unpredictable, but back to what I was saying...) He walks up, drops the cereal in the cart, and just stares. He looks at me and says ever so nicely, "Ummm, honey are we getting any food? All we have is some fruit and then every kind of drink this place offers." I just laughed and explained to him how yummy they all looked. He just laughed and we continued on, but I think I may be banned from grocery shopping here soon!

This weekend we are taking a little mini vacation down to Dallas, TX for Labor Day weekend. We have no plans at all except to hang out at the pool. We decided we better do this while we can, because soon this will not be so easy.

I hope everyone is doing well. I get several comments about how much you like reading the blog but no one ever comments on here. Come on people! Little Jelly Bean is going to think no one wanted to read about him/her because no one ever commented. Okay maybe he/she won't care but I just thought maybe that would encourage you to LEAVE A COMMENT! :)

P.S. I know I said I would post our last ultra sound picture but really you cannot see anything at all because Jelly Bean was moving so much. Let's wait until next month so you can see more than just the head and a blur!

"Did you swallow an iPod?"

Hello everyone, Kara here. Thanks for all the prayers... my headaches are definitely getting better. My doctor said he thinks they should be gone by the end of the first trimester, which (unbelievably) is in 1 week! I can't believe I will be 12 weeks along next Wednesday.

We went in and got to see "Jelly Bean" on Wednesday (August 13th), and this baby is already a character. It would not even sit still for a picture. We were able to get another look at it and it was just dancing around. My doctor was laughing and asked me what kind of music I had on the iPod I swallowed! Heart rate this time was around 170 and Jelly Bean was having a great time in there. It was amazing to me that you can already see its legs and arms so perfectly. It was so nice to be able to see and hear him/her in there. I think all my headaches had made me start to think, "Is this normal? Is the baby okay?" But once I saw the picture on screen and heard the heartbeat, it was like he/she was saying, "Mom I am having a great time in here-don't worry about me!"

I will be going back in 4 more weeks and my doctor said he will start looking to determine the gender. It may be this time we find out, but if not, then definitely the next time. I can't believe that I could know what we are having in a little less than a month. Gabe and I would be truly happy with either a boy or girl as long as it's healthy. Still thinking though names but we are pretty excited about a few. I think once we know we will really start narrowing it down. I will keep you posted.

I will try and get a good picture of the sonogram or maybe I can scan it and get it uploaded. But like I said, it is not the best picture because of the dancing!

Who's talking NOW, bay-bay?!?!

I screamed.

The US men's swim team came from behind to beat France in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. The anchor swimmer, Jason Lezak, was about half a body length behind Bernard (France's swiftest swimmer), and in the closing seconds of the race, he turned it up and finished first! Oh yeah... and he smashed a world record too by finishing his leg in 46 seconds flat. It was one of the most amazing moments in sports I have ever witnessed. I actually jumped out of bed and pumped my fist in the air. My favorite part? Michael Phelps' reaction. The French were talking smack for weeks, saying they were going to "smash the Americans." Yeah? YEAH? Well, who's talking now, bay-bay?! Check it out:


Well hello there. Gabe here... otherwise known as "Daddy." Sorry it's been a while since our last post... Kara hasn't been feeling well. In addition to the unusual fatigue, she's been stricken with migraines every night for the past week and a half. About 1 or 2am, she wakes up to take her migraine medication and put a cold rag over her eyes. I have never had a migraine, but Kara tells me that the entire right side of her face throbs in pain, that it feels like somebody punched her in the eye. The slightest noise or light makes the pain even worse. The headaches are absolutely crippling, and all she can take is Tylenol. Thankfully, her doctor has also called in a pain medicine that is safe for her and the baby. Please keep her in your prayers. We know God is able!

Guess what I did on Friday night while Kara was out of town visiting her grandmother? I played G.R.A.W. (Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter) on my Xbox360 until my mind was numb... it was great! Yeah, I know it's about 2 years old but it's still fun. I am currently putting down an insurrection in Mexico City, and I will re-enter the fray this weekend sometime. Don't worry... I'll be sure to train my son or daughter in the finer arts of tactical warfare.


I'm also going to see "The Dark Knight" again with my father-in-law tomorrow afternoon. His name is Dan and he says he will go by "Dan-pappy" instead of Grandpa after the baby is born. Why? That's Dan. And I'm Batman. I always see my movies twice. In the IMAX. By the way, if you're not funding our $440 million-plus drive to record-breaking box office standings, then you need to join in the fun. Won't you help? Won't you buy a ticket for your friend Batman so we can dethrone that sissy Titanic movie? Click here to act now. The Batman thanks you.

Speaking of Batman, I got a new Dark Knight toy last night for my birthday! Some friends bought me the Stealth Launch Dark Knight Batmobile Tumbler! And yes, I put it together right away and played with it. It scares Adrian (our weiner dog) to death when the Batpod launches from the Batmobile. Here it is:
On another note... You know what shocks me? Our country's political hypocrisy. People scream all the time how politicians' private lives don't matter, and then these SAME people get all bent out of shape when John Edwards betrays his cancer-stricken wife by sleeping with a member of his political campaign and then lying about it to the public. What's the big deal? It's just a marriage. (Pardon the sarcasm.) If you're going to be a reprobate and excuse reprobate lifestyles, then at least be consistent.

People always go on and on about how Christians aren't "tolerant." Everyone's intolerant... just on different terms. For example, someone who's very passionate about minimizing eco-footprints would not be very appreciative if I left the engine running in our SUV all day, for no reason other than to hear the sound of the motor and to burn gas. They would ask me, "Don't you care about our environment, about conserving natural resources and keeping the atmosphere clean?" To that I would say, "Well if you were tolerant you would leave me alone!"

The same is true about people's moral code, which seems to shift whenever it's convenient. Don't make light of family values, and then scream betrayal when somebody violates one. I heard on NBC News last night that John Edwards thinks his political career is over. Pretty odd for a nation that claims it doesn't care about personal morality.

Well that does it for now. In the words of the eloquent Ron Burgundy: Stay classy, San Diego. And leave a comment.

Wedding fun...

So all the wedding festivities are over and truth be told I am a little sad :( I am so excited for Megan and Luke though and am so excited for this new chapter in their lives.

Friday afternoon I went and got my toes and nails done with Megan and her family then ran around and did some errands with them. That night at 6 pm was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner followed. Luke's parents were in charge of the rehearsal dinner and it was yummy. We went over to Famous Dave's barbecue and it was such a good time of just hanging out.

I spent the night at Meg's house after the dinner and got a chance to truly act like teenage girls again. We stayed up late, looked at all her honeymoon clothes, watched my wedding video, looked at all pictures and just laughed. I think I went to bed around 4 am and then woke up at 6:40 because of course being pregnant the baby likes to put enormous pressure on your bladder at all the wrong times! I could not go back to sleep so my day began after only 3 hrs of sleep. We all got ready at her house and her 2 friends came and did our hair and makeup. I was so glad that Megan really got to enjoy her day and God really helped to calm her down. We got ready until about 1 pm then we headed to the church. Pictures began at 2 and then the wedding was at 4. Let me just say that Megan was one of the prettiest brides I have ever seen. It was a big joke among some of the bridesmaids and myself that I am just not a cryer. I seriously never cry at the normal things. I cry at the most random things and even then it is more like just tearing up and then the moment is over. BUT before the ceremony Megan and Luke had their first look of each other by themselves (well plus the photographer) and I kinda peeked and when I saw the look on her face I could not help but tear up. To see the happiness on her face just made me so happy for her. I think that is what made her so gorgeous on that day was the love that they share together.

During the ceremony the Pastor was talking about how true love is when you make the the other person want to be a better person. I began to think about my marriage and just how truly blessed I am. For the last 6 years (2 dating and then 4 married) Gabe has always challenged me to be a better person..not by words but by how he lives his life. I love that about our marriage. I was up on stage but I wanted to run down the aisle and just sit by him and hold his hand as the pastor spoke about love and the covenant of marriage. Our marriage is definetly not perfect but I know at the end of the day we are truly and deeply in love with each other because of Christ's lvoe for us. God has been so good to us.

Megan and Luke are now in Mexico on their honeymoon and one of the bridesmaid heard from her. Not because she wanted to let everyone know she made it there safe but because she wanted to know if it was ok to shower! I swear that girl never changes! She is hillarious!

So today thank God to those who love you and remember your wedding and exactly how you felt when you saw your husband or wife for the first time.

Here comes the bride...

So this weekend one of my best friends is getting married! I have known Megan since I was in the 8th grade and we have been pretty much inseparable ever since-well except for that one year that we argued and we to this day can't remember why...oh the minds of teenagers. :)


I am one of the bridesmaids and that is such an honor. I am not a serial bridesmaid...I was definetly not the "always a bridesmaid never a bride." I was actually a bride before I was ever a bridesmaid. Megan was my maid of honor so it is so nice to be standing up there with her and being there for her as she was for me over 4 years ago. Tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner and during the day we are going to get our pedicures.

On Saturday she will be marrying Luke and I couldn't think of a better fit for her. I don't know Luke all that well (at least not as much as I would like) due to us living in different cities, but I see how happy he makes her and that gets him my stamp of approval. It is going to be a beautiful wedding and I am so excited to see her all dressed in her wedding attire-she is going to be a gorgeous bride.

As I have been talking to her through this whole planning process it has reminded me of my wedding. It is hard to believe that over 4 years ago I walked down the aisle and became Gabe's wife. It has truly been the best 4 years of my life and now to know we are about to embark on a new chapter in our journey together is just reminds me how good God is. I am definitely pulling out my wedding video to watch this weekend. It's funny because even though I have watched it a few times I always get those butterflies in my stomach and just giddy every time the video starts. I know a lot of people are stressed on their wedding day but it was such an amazing day for me. I think I just knew there was nothing I could do to fix any last minute problems so I just enjoyed the day. I pray that Megan would truly enjoy this day because it is over before you know it and its just not worth it to stress all day.

What were your wedding days like? Were there any last minute fiascoes? Any funny stories? (as you can tell I am asking questions because I want you people to comment!) :)

I will post pics of the wedding hopefully later this week!

Happy Birthday to Us!

Hey fellow readers. Sorry it has been a while since the last update. We have had a busy last few days. Last Friday (July 11th) was my birthday (Kara) and then July 15th was Gabe's.
Gabe surprised me on Thursday night at my dear friend's house with a party. It was so much fun and I was so proud of Gabe--he organized it all. Just reminded me what a great husband I have.

For Gabe's birthday I took him to dinner but his real party will be on Saturday when he and his friends will head to see "The Dark Knight" in the IMAX. They are all pretty pumped! I asked Gabe what kind of cake he wanted, thinking he'd want Reasor's to make a Batman cake, but he informed me he wants a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I'm not much of a baker, so please pray for me! (Last time I made Gabe a cake like this, we were dating, and let's just say by the time it got to Gabe, all the frosting was no longer on the cake. Nice guy still ate it though.)

So on to the real news....we got to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was the most amazing thing I have ever heard. My doctor was so good about just letting us listen. Gabe just kept saying "Wow, oh wow." It was so cute. I just sat and stared at the screen. To see how much the little thing has grown in 2 weeks just amazes me. We got a final due date...drum roll please......March 3, 2009! It is so fun to have a due date. This puts me at 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I am halfway through my first trimester. That is just crazy. I am feeling great. I am tired and have a had a few nauseous moments but so far nothing too bad...can you say thank you Jesus! Below is our baby's first picture. Not his/her best side! :) Just look at it and imagine what a good looking baby it is! Just think as the months go on it will be more then just a blob on the screen! But seriously look how much its grown since last time.



Oh and I finally got my rule book "What to Expect When Expecting" from my doctor. It is funny because I really do not like rules and regulations in everyday life. I am more "fly by the seat of your pants" but I could not wait for this book. I never realized how many do's and don'ts there are to being pregnant. So this new book has become my new best friend.

Other than that, Gabe has started his new job and let me just say-GOD BLEW US AWAY! We knew that God was calling Gabe to a new career but we just had no idea where to look. Gabe looked for 3 solid months and was very frustrated because nothing opened up. We prayed a simple prayer: that God would open the right doors and close the wrong ones. God did exactly that and we are so grateful. God is such a good God and for anyone who is waiting on God to open doors for you--just keep waiting and praying and I promise He will not disappoint!

We go back in 4 weeks and I can't even imagine how much the little jelly bean (my sis and I decided this was the baby's new nickname) will have grown!

The Dark Knight is Coming!

Baby meets Batman. Gives me great inspiration on how to dress my kid. We are going to LOVE Toys 'R Us!

So, I already bought tickets to the IMAX showing of The Dark Knight next weekend. A full 10 days in advance. Who DOES that? Batman, I tell you!

So by now, you've probably figured out I'm a Batman nut. How did this begin, you ask? Ah, let me share with you how Batman began...

In 8th grade, my brother somehow met a man who lived in our neighborhood named Jack Burnley. Jack was the Superman/Batman artist for DC Comics from 1939-1945 (approximately). He had every Batman comic book you can imagine, especially from the Golden Age. Heck, he drew them! Mr. Burnley has since passed on, but not before he gave me 2 autographed color prints of both Superman and Batman. So, in those days, I immersed myself in the life of the Dark Knight. (Nobody's found me since.) I read Batman comics, drew Batman pictures, and listened to Batman audio dramas. I collected any and all Batman-related memorabilia. I still have some of that stuff.

So, when you hear me talking about the Batcave, the Batmobile, Batpod, or any of that stuff, you've gotta know I'm only kidding. Or am I? Could I have somehow assumed the mantle of the bat and continued to fight crime? Well, you sleep safely at night don't you? You tell me.

"Out of the darkness... comes the Knight."