And the ClearBlue Easy said...

I have mentally composed this email a half dozen times, but finally today - 6 months from the predicted "due date" I am finally writing to share our big news...John and I are expecting a baby on or around October 28th, 2008! So...I am officially preggo, knocked up, with child, in the family way, the bun is in the oven and we are proud parents-to-be.

So I figure the best way to tell everyone (pardon the mass email) how we're doing is to answer commonly asked questions...and here goes:

Q: How are you feeling?
A: All said and done, I am feeling great. I get tired. I get very cranky and light headed if I haven't eaten. However, I have been thankfully free of morning sickness, I've just had all day nausea especially when I don't eat. I feel very lucky and am trying not to take it for granted.

Q: Was it planned?
A: Yes, John and I decided to start in January of this year. We maybe didn't realize it would go so quickly. Again- we feel very blessed.

Q: Are you showing?
A: I was showing in week 8. I had to buy all new pants. It's been...an interesting time for me clothing wise. I'm now wearing 100% maternity clothing. (Hint for the Ladies- getting pregnant is a good way to get a whole new wardrobe if you're tired with your current clothing choices...)

Q: Are you still moving to Colorado? (Alternative Question: What? You're moving to Colorado?!?!)
A: Yep! We are still planning on packing up and heading west...sometime this year...before the baby is born. We just have to sell the Condo. So, there are a few things we have to do...and we both understand how bad the market is. We're staying very optimistic and positive. We are planning to relocate to a town somewhere between Denver and Boulder. (That's about all I can say w/o getting too emotional...I'm very happy to move back to CO...VERY sad to leave my Chicago...)

Q: So, do you have jobs for when you move?
A: Yes and no. John has a few good leads on fire jobs and so we're staying positive. I will be able to transfer to Denver with my company - so I'm very excited to have that opportunity.

Q: Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?
A: While I have a feeling for what the baby is...as far as sonograms - it is a bit to early to know. I'm only 13.5 weeks/3 months into this process. Week 20 seems to be the magical time when many questions can be answered. However, John does not want to find out while I do. So, I am going to respect my husband's crazy desire to be surprised and not find out.

Q: Have you seen/heard the baby yet?
A: I have had 3 sonograms and have heard the baby through a doppler heart monitor. The first sonogram was waaay too early to see the baby. The second one at 8 weeks revealed a cross between a tadpole and a baby. The last one at 12 weeks was amazing. We got to see the baby jumping and moving around. It also looked more human. The baby moved and jumped so much the technician got a bit frustrated. John and I both noted that this is obviously our child - stubborn and a pain in the ass...but very cute. The sonogram tech wished us much luck in the future.

Q: Have you felt the baby yet?
A: Again, it is too "early" but I have begun to feel the "gas bubbles" that is supposedly the baby kicking and moving around. Sometimes it wakes me up. I think it is an active little buggar.

Q: Any names picked out?
A: Yep - we have names for both a boy and a girl. Right now we call the baby either "Baby" or "Chaz" (ok John calls the baby Chaz) but no other nicknames have surfaced yet.

Q: Any weird cravings?
A: The weirdest things for me is I am hungry in the middle of the night - so I usually have a bowl of cereal around 2am. Otherwise, desire for food has just intensified (Especially for milk, red meat, all kinds of fruit and cherry-flavored candy). The only aversion so far is chicken- but that's not consistent.

Q: Are you excited?
A: EXTREMELY!

Q: Is John excited?
A: Yes - of course John is excited. He is also being a very supportive husband and is being very nice to me. He makes me pancakes or cheeseburgers, tells me I look beautiful and not fat, he's reading parenting books and he even brings me candy when I ask him to.

Q: What about your parents/John's parents - are they excited?
A: This is perhaps the funniest question of them all because the answer is also "of course." My mom has recently emailed indicating pictures and news of the baby is now more important than news about us. My mother-in-law has sent me some great maternity clothing and fun books. My dad carries a laminated copy of the 1st sonogram picture in his wallet. My father-in-law is refinishing a high chair and sent us news of this invention...just in case it is a boy. So, yes, each of them is excited.

Q: Do the dogs know?
A: I think they know something is up. They are both very sweet with me - Tycho (the boxer) is extra cuddly with me these days. Sometimes he rests his head on my tummy. It is very endearing.

I think I've exhausted most of the frequently asked questions. My apologies for not getting out the word quicker and for not being able to tell all of you individually. I do hope this email finds each of you well and enjoying the spring time.

Much love,
Kimberly, John & Future Baby Southern-Weber

Extreme Home Makeover, Chez S-W Edition

We're nearing completion of the changes to the condo. It's our own little version of my Reality TV guilty pleasure. Below I've posted some pics of the before and after - I think we've made some great changes to the place and I hope it sells quickly and for our desired price! My fingers are crossed.

Kitchen - Before
This was previously my most used/least enjoyed room. It was cramped and very closed it. It took no time for the room to overheat and then no one wanted to hang with me. When we moved in the appliances were caked with some unknown brown gummy substance, left behind by the previous owners for our enjoyment. I used lots of elbow grease in cleaning it - but it never felt like mine.

View from the entrance:


View from the door:


Kitchen - After
Now this room I can't get enough of. I'd move the bed in here if it could fit a California King. We replaced the wall with a breakfast bar, installed new granite countertops, bought all new GE Stainless Steel Appliances anout the wall and removed a pocket door, replaceWe replaced the crappy counters with black granite, painted it a lovely green. The opened wall has completely changed the feel of the kitchen. No more overheating, and it now flows with the rest of the condo. I am typing this from the breakfast bar- which is a convenient place to work or eat all of my meals.

View from the breakfast bar:


View from the door (we're waiting for cabinet doors under the breakfast bar):


View of the Fridge/Oven:


And then the Master Bathroom...

Master Bath - Before:
This bathroom was the epitome of an "eye sore." The color was overwhelmingly bad. While it was original tile from the 50's...the salmon pink was just not cutting it. The vanity had been "updated" probably in the 70's...it didn't quite match the tile and was generally awful. Look for yourself...


The vanity was slightly newer than the tile, but probably more hideous.


Master Bath - After:
We love subway tile. So we replaced the 50's salmon pink with a cleaner look of white subway tile. We changed the vanity and updated the cabinets adding more storage space..and overall I am quite happy with how this bathroom turned out. Now we just need to get new towels.

View from the door:



New cabinets!


Lovely vanity with the apron front sink...



So there you have it people. We have redone our kitchen and bath. Now we need to box up a lot of crap we don't use, clean the condo and finally put it on the market. Keep your fingers crossed...I'll try to keep you posted on the progress.

merriment

HAPPY 2008!

It's been a fun winter season - with plenty of time at home and with family. We've had a Thanksgiving feast, a Christmas party, a Drake alumni event, a Christmas in Chicago, a "tweener" weekend in Wisconsin and a very relaxed welcome to 2008. Looking back on the past month+ of activity - it feels like one big extended return to childhood. Ok, childhood with a few perks...but it has been a fun month. I'm sad to see it end as it has been a very happy time for me and the family.

Here are some pictures chronicling our adventures.

Our work "Holiday" Party. Ole!

Drake Alumni Event...Sara and Stephanie came in for the weekend
- and we enjoyed a really fun dinner and comedy event. However -
the best part of the weekend was seeing my Drake girls. (note: Sara left Des Moines to come to Chicago for a Drake alumni event...there was no end to jokes about that).





If this doesn't capture "laid back Christmas" (carhart's and a santa's hat)...I don't know what does.

Wisconsin...how we love you. In our trek up to Wisconsin, we were able got to see John's ma and pa, as well as spending time with John's cousin Jim, his sons Jeff & Carl, his lovely grandma Lorraine, the always engaging Uncle Bob and his incredible hostess of an aunt Ann. I wish there would have been more time for snowshoeing and snowshoes... but alas we have to return to the world of being an adult. One of the best experiences was having Tycho off leash and enjoying the big wide world, without leaving us too far behind.

Here is a shot of me in Natarajasana (Dancer pose). I can't explain how balanced, free and strong I feel in this pose - and I hope to carry this feeling with me throughout 2008. Balancing in snowshoes was pretty fun.

Here is little Tycho, pooped after so much snow and running.

And, while no photos were taken this morning, we had an awesome laugh-fest of a brunch with the lovely, charming and beautiful Chandra & Venus. Life is made so much richer having these wonderful women in our life.








So - again, I wish everyone a very happy 2008. May this new year be filled with love, life, strength and joy.

Anniversaries of a sort

Today marks 7 years since I started at my 1st big-time employer. It is an interesting anniversary of sorts. I'm now 2 jobs away and probably happier career wise than I've ever been. It just took a few years of...major frustration...to earn some stripes and create the kind of career that started making me happy. Mostly. Still, I can reflect on my time in big 5 with a lot of fondness and humor. And, it helps me look forward to where I want to go...I still have a lot ahead of me. Also, I've made a month and a half with the current company. And I'm loving it. Yea! It makes life much happier to actually enjoy your work AND employer.

Another anniversary is John's bday. Tomorrow he'll be 37. This weekend his mom came out to Chicago to surprise him for his 37th birthday. We had a great time surprising John by going out to his cousin Laura & Chad's house for the dinner/night. John didn't have any idea his mom was going to be there - so the surprise part was a success. We had a fun time - and John's godparents were there, too, which was very fun. This is Emma and myself spending time with the dogs. Emma was great learning how to make the pups sit/lay down/shake/high five. She loves animals - which clearly shows in how much she loves spending time with Ella & Tycho. Barb also enjoyed seeing the granddogs. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed her time with us, too, though I feel bad because we drug her to about 10 hardware stores looking for the perfect lighting fixtures. Barb was a trooper and we had a great time. Barb also helped advise on the wall color (Ralph Lauren's Linconshire Olive) and on my choice of fingernail polish (OPI's "Romeo and Joliet" looks too black). It was a bonding and educational time.

The other chaos in my life right now- renovating the condo and LSAT class- both seem to be at a peak. The kitchen is completely impassable as we're waiting for the stain/finish to dry on the floor. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was demolished and a hole is sitting there waiting to be filled with cabinetry and a granite breakfast bar. It actually looks really great - I can't wait for it to all come together. We should get appliances on Friday and granite on Saturday! Yea! Order returns! My oven currently is sitting next to the front door...and the fridge is in the dining room. It's just a mess. Don't even get me started on the master bath- cause it's not pretty. It's one big war zone. Suffice it to say that concrete/tile technique of the mid 20th century is...quite...thick...and hard to remove. I look forward to the pretty finished bathroom I have pictured in my head... (Gracias a Marco, Luis y Juan por todo el trabajo).

LSAT prep goes fine- I am delaying until February. I plan to study more (ha?) and take the class over again to reinforce all of the theory. I have found I love the logic games, hate the logical reasoning...and I get very tired by 10pm. I am old.

Tonight I skipped the 2nd half of the class (it was a "jam" session and not an actual lesson...) and did a couple things in anticipation of John's bday...and now I'm sitting in the guest bedroom spending with the dogs. This room is now their doggie jail until the condo is complete. Tycho is pacing around- Ella is sitting under me and is shivering. Ah, dogs. Update: now Tycho is chewing on Ella's front legs....now he's making some sort of head shaking maneuver. now he is boxing. now he's eating fish food. Now he's trying to get in my lap. Back to chewing Ella.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I may post again soon- my parents will be in town for a couple nights, with brother in tow. Should be a good turkey day for all parties involved...as long as I actually have a real kitchen in time. Stay tuned.

PS- thanks again to Barb for the weekend...and for the photos. You were so fun to have here...and you've made my blog more interesting thanks to the pics.

Shelfari Sucks

See below for the text of an email I sent out to all of my contacts in my gmail account. (If you are reading this, you probably got this email...). I joined Shelfari and thought I was inviting a few friends to the site. It has a feature similar to Linkedin that allows you to see all of the contacts you have already in the site. Except, when you invite those friends, you will also invite ALL of the contacts in your email box unless you catch it.

I am incredibly frustrated and also embarrassed I fell for it AND it sent to all of my email contacts. All of them. Business, friends, frenimies, Amazon.com customer service...AGHHH. How very frustrating.

------------------------------------------

Good morning,

I apologize for the emails you may have received inviting you to join "Shelfari" from me. I received an invitation earlier this week and joined with the intent to invite a few of my friends with whom I discuss books. Instead, Shelfari invited all of my email contacts.

Shelfari offers a "friend friend" service which imports your email address book to a) determine who else of your email contacts is on Shelfari and b) help you invite those who aren't. This is similar to other networking sites, so I took them up on this. It found a couple of my friends who were signed up and I clicked on the "invite friends" button before realizing it had imported my entire gmail address book and it was sending to ANY and ALL of my email contacts.

At the time I was embarrassed and horrified. I do not appreciate random forwards or invites, I don't believe anyone does. I consoled myself thinking "No terrible harm done, one email is generally forgettable and perhaps I'll reconnect with some people."

Then yesterday, it came to my attention that a "friendly reminder" was sent on my behalf for anyone who had not signed up for the service. Shelfari began to spam on my behalf. I am personally mortified. I had no idea they would begin to spam ALL of the contacts in my email.

Therefore, I write this email as an apology and a warning. I apologize for the emails from Shelfari. It was not my intent to spam, and hopefully this will be the last email on the subject. If you do sign up for Shelfari, do not choose the "find friend" option without "deselecting all." This was a sneaky trick on Shelfari's part and I fell for it. Please google "Shelfari spam" for more information if you are interested.

Again, my apologies.

Regards,

Kimberly

FYI: To protect yourself and prevent any future Shelfari invitations, go to http://www.shelfari.com/actions/emailoptout.aspx.