Chicago Marathon

We recently got back from Chicago. We went there so that Kris could run the Chicago Marathon. This is his third time to run the race and he has been training for months. We got to see many family members and friends and Kris ran the race with his brother, Aaron, for the first time. Kris says this will officially be his last marathon!!

These are the back of the marathon shirts. It's hard to see what they say, but the emblem says, 200 lb. club, fat guy marathon and there is a picture of a man holding a knife and fork, chasing a hamburger with legs. Many fellow marathon runners loved the shirt and asked Kris if they could buy one from him.

Luke, Aaron, and Kris before the big race. It was so cold outside! The official temperature was 32 degrees, but the "feels like" temp. was 24! I am very bundled up, but still froze!

Kris, as he was getting ready to cross the finish line! He got very bad leg cramps toward the end and could hardly walk, but he managed to finish! It was neat to watch all the runners as they came to the finish line. It was very emotional. Some were crying, probably from both pain and emotion. All sorts of people ran the marathon; there were one-legged runners and old men. It's amazing the dedication some people have.

Kris and Aaron after the race.

This is just one of the very large blisters Kris had on the bottom of his foot. We were supposed to stay in Chicago until Tuesday, but we decided to fly home early so Kris could relax. I was tired from shivering and he was tired from running!

Recent Doctor Appt.

Kris and I went to another doctor appt. today. All went well and everything is progressing as it should be. We didn't get another ultrasound (we were a little disappointed about that), but we did hear the heart beat on the doppler for the first time, so that was nice. We scheduled our next two appts. We will find out the sex on the December 3rd. That is also when we get our 3-D ultrasound. Other than that, I am feeling pretty good, still tired, but not nearly as sick.

We are off to Chicago this weekend. Kris is running in the marathon there. I will post pics when we return. It is supposed to be very cold there, so keep your fingers crossed for a heat wave in Chicago!

12 weeks...and it's a girl!!!

Me at 12 weeks. Not sure why I look so "pregnant" so fast. I have only gained 1 1/2 pounds, yet my stomach sticks out a lot! I went online and did some maternity shopping. I am wearing my belly band all the time now. Our next dr. appt. is Tuesday. Can't wait to get the ultrasound!


Kris and I decided to do a gender test kit at home. You can do it as soon as 10 weeks. According to my research, in lab tests it was 90% accurate, but in at home trials, it was 82% accurate. That's still pretty good. I woke up Sunday morning at 5:30 a.m. and decided to take the test. (You have to take it in the morning). After I took it, I woke Kris up so we could figure out the results together. According to this test, it's a girl! We won't know from the ultrasound until the beginning of December. We'll see how accurate it was! (Needless to say, I am not running out and buying pink just in case.)

A Whole New Kind of Bar...

Kris and I recently went to dinner with some friends. After dinner we went to The Chocolate Bar. This restaurant has all kinds of chocolate: ice cream, fruit, candy, dog treats, the list goes on and on. Everything is chocolate!!

We had to go to the chocolate bar instead of a traditional kind of bar because all three of us girls are expecting. Jen and I are two weeks apart, while Julie and I are four weeks apart. It's fun to be able to go through this time with two of my best friends.



The pregant crew: Julie, 6 weeks; Jen, 12 weeks, Brooke 10 weeks

Recent News

Barefoot and pregnant (in the kitchen), eating for two, bun in the oven...so many different ways to say, We're having a baby!!!

Me at 10 weeks

Baby at 8 1/2 weeks. You can see the little arms.

Our expected due date is April 22, 2010.

We found out we were pregnant right after I got back from my New York trip. We were completely shocked because we had done clomid in July and the dr. said it didn't work, and there was no way I would get pregnant. She suggested seeing a fertility specialist, so we went through all the consultations, etc. Well, apparently the dr. was wrong because we were pregnant all along! We are very excited and could hardly wait to share this news with everyone. We definitely appreciate being kept in your thoughts and prayers.

New York Trip

I recently went to visit a friend of mine who lives in New York. We went to undergrad together and were great friends. Gen and her husband moved to New York about 2 years ago. It was great to spend time with her and get a chance to get to know her daughter, Bella. Gen was a great tour guide! She took me from one end of the city to the other! We went to see Billy Elliot and Chicago on Broadway. They were both great shows! A broadway experience is definitely better than any other theater experience I have had. We also went to Time Square, Central Park, Rockerfeller Square, Tiffany's (I didn't buy anything though), Coney Island, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, Ground Zero, and Staten Island. (Actually, we ended up doing way more than just those things!) All in all, it was a wonderful trip, but I will say, my feet hurt so bad by the time I got home! New Yorkers do a ton of walking!

Gen and I at Cafe Wha. Cafe Wha is a bar where many famous musicians have been discovered, such as Bruce Springsten, Bob Dylan, and many others. The band was wonderful! We ordered a pitcher of Sangria and had a great time making fun of all the bad dancers on the dance floor. We also met 2 girls who were visiting from Scotland. We were amazed that they knew all the words (chorus and verse) to every single song that was played, including the Latin songs.

Billy Elliot was a fantastic show!

Gen and I all dolled up to go out to dinner and to watch a show on Broadway. I got to eat many different types of food while in New York. I ate Vietnamese foods, Ethiopian food (which I did not like), and tons of NY pizza!

St. Patrick's Cathedral--this church was gorgeous on the inside. When we went inside, however, we discovered that a wedding was going on. It was really weird: there were tons of tourist just strolling around the church snapping pics while this massive wedding was in progress.

Gen and I in Central Park. I was very impressed with Central Park. Not only is it huge, 843 acres, but it had an amazing atmosphere. There were many great musicians playing as we walked through the park. It reminded me of the Central Park we see in movies!

Cannon Beach, Oregon

This is the second year that Kris and I have gone to Cannon Beach, Oregon, which is a coast town about an hour and a half from Portland. It is so nice to go and get away from the Houston heat. The high when we were there was about 60 degrees! Such a nice change! While there, we visited several wineries, ate yummy food, shopped, visited a waterfall, and had a bonfire on the beach.

This is the waterfall we went to see. The picture really doesn't do it justice. We attempted to hike to the top, but I didn't make it....It is straight up and I am very out of shape.

This is the view from our hotel balcony. This giant rock is called haystack rock and it is actually in the Goonies movie. This is during low tide and there a ton of tide pools around. We enjoyed sleeping with our balcony door open at night. The temperature was just right and it was so soothing to listen to the ocean while we fell asleep.

Kris was nice enough to share this ice-cream cone with the "cow."

This is a picture of some grapes growing on the vine from one of the vineyards we visited.

My now full wine rack...Kris and I both brought an empty suitcase on this trip, so we could bring back any wine that we really loved. We were very lucky that none of the bottles broke on the flight. Between this trip and my girl's trip to Fredericksburg, I was able to fill up the wine rack for the first time! Quite an accomplishment, I know.