Pregnancy Wk. 28

I can't believe that I have ventured into the final, third trimester. This is the 28th of 40 weeks.

Pros/Cons thus far:

Pros -

*Watching Eric's expression as he feels our little boy move around.

*We were able to feel either a heel or elbow just last night! Quite incredible!

*Baby showers! (Handmade cards that were made for me from church friends.)

Cons-

*It's hard to imagine there being any more room in my belly for him to grow.

*It's been hard to comfortably sleep at night.

Week 28

*Made by Mrs. Kowalski

*Made by Annaleigh

*Made by Mrs. Parnell

What I've Forgotten to Post :)

These are all the little things that I have forgotten to post about. Pictures help fill-in the missing pieces. :)

A recent sausage pie.

Grandpa Buck, Eric, and Daddy on our recent trip to Franklin, TN.

Hannah, Kristine, Mom, and Grandma Buck, also, while we were in Franklin, TN.

A surprise dessert Eric made for us one evening. :) You don't have to be camping in order to have great smores!

Beautiful flowers received from my family on my 24th birthday.

Eric treated me to a sunset cruise with fireworks and invited great friends, Talissyn and Tyson, to come along! What a perfect birthday gift!

I loved the candles he picked specifically out for my homemade birthday cake. Can you see the excitement beaming from my face?

One of my dearest friends, Mary, got married!! What a beautiful bride!

Mary and I at her bridal brunch. :)

2nd Annual Camping Trip

Oct. 10-12th in Devil's Lake:

Eric and I were excited to take our second camping trip together over Columbus Day weekend. Talissyn and Tyson were supposed to join us, but due to sickness, they weren't able to join us. After the weather, I'm sure they were glad to be back in their own beds.

This year was quite different than last year. We were in shorts and short sleeved t-shirts. This year, we were completely bundled up in Winter gear. :) Welcome to the unpredictable mid-west. Instead of Michigan, we headed up Wisconsin.

Not the best picture to start out with, but it does show how cold it was. Our oil for cooking turned from a liquid to a solid. :) (I look tired as this was the second morning of our trip.)

Eric doing a great job cooking bacon to go with the pancakes I would make. Look at the roaring fire! All Eric's doing!!

Our little tent. We'll have to get a babysitter next year if we want to go camping. Our little buddy won't fit in here. :)

This was during our short hike around Devil's Lake. There were tons of rocks in this area from a "rock avalanche" many, many years ago.

As you can see, it was quite cold during our time there. Highs: 40* Lows: 25*

Panoramic of Devil's Lake

If I might say so myself, I think this is a studly picture of Eric!

Before we headed to the campsite, we stopped at a Pumpkin Patch. What an experience! They not only had pumpkins but a whole animal farm - INCLUDING GIRAFFES!! My favorite!!

Eric enjoyed feeding all the goats. He even made sure the littlest one got some food. :)

Look at our Little One!

While these pictures are from about 4 weeks ago, I still love being able to see our little guy. Speaking of which, we're having a boy!! And over the last couple of weeks, he has been much more active than ever before. The other day Eric and I both had our hands on my belly, and we both felt him moving. It's quite funny to see Eric's eyes get really big when the baby kicks (or hits or pushes).

Kristine's Belly

I hope to update very soon...it has been too long. However, I was able to easily upload the pictures from my camera. These pictures are from weeks 21 and 22.  :)  People are telling me that I now look pregnant.  :) 

Ultrasound Pictures!

*The first three ultrasound pictures were taken at week 10.

Right after this picture was taken, I saw the baby's fingers wiggle!

It is just unbelievable how much this little person is becoming more and more unique. I can't believe how big its' body looks here!

After this visit, we were so excited that we were able to see our baby again and watch its' little self move around! 

*This last picture was taken at my "end of first trimester" visit. 

Look at that profile picture! Isn't that just crazy?! It's a real little person! Eric said that in this picture he/she has full lips. :)

We can't wait to meet our little one. :) 

Vacationing

It's unbelievable that the summer is coming to an end so quickly. I'm starting to have dreams about going back to teaching and my students misbehaving. :) The other night I had a dream that I was back in school. I think that I need a little more time before I do that again. 

This summer will go down as quite an eventful one. We found out we were pregnant, moved, moved out (because of mold), and moved again. I've cut my wedding attendance in half from last year from eight to four weddings. We've, also, been able to spend two great weeks with our families - Bucks in Orlando, FL and Huffords in Northport, MI. These have been much needed weeks away from the craziness of our lives back home, particularly the fact that we've lived among boxes for the last two - three months. I think we're just looking forward to having a home again where we can rest and feel comfortable. 

Our latest addictions: Hell's Kitchen and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. 

Our baby is growing!!

*10 and 1/2 weeks - We were able to see our little peanut move! And this peanut looks like a baby more and more each time we see him/her.

*12 weeks - We were told we have a very active baby and took home a fabulous profile picture of our little one. 

*13 weeks - I have a slightly bigger belly. I think the baby wants more attention from the outside world. :) And we've been telling more and more people about our baby to come! (And our mom's our glad they don't have to keep secrets anymore.) :)

Hopefully, I can scan in some ultrasound pictures when I get home from MI. 

Enjoying the Lazy Summer Days

Another week has passed by. Just last night we spent the evening at Millennium Park with friends. Eric and I were able to enjoy some yummy fried chicken and pasta salad while waiting for our friends. It was a nice little date for the two of us. And it was free! 

You know, I just saw 50 First Dates...why have I waited so long to see that movie? I laughed out loud more times than I can count. :) I think I might actually have to purchase that movie. It's always nice to have a good laugh which is one reason that I like watching Ellen in the afternoons. She keeps me laughing and in a good mood when some days leave me laying on the couch. 

I've spent about two days in the last week or so on the couch. My stomach just hasn't been feeling up to par. I think the baby just wants some attention. :) But it's given me time to catch up on sleep and reading. I just finished The Wednesday Wars. What a wonderful book about a 7th grader who thinks his teacher hates him. I sure hope my students don't think that I hate them! I completely love being their teacher. And besides loving the information in What to Expect When You're Expecting, I just found a great resource, Your Pregnancy Week by Week. I like how it has little exercises for each week and "Dad Tips." 

Eric and I do have an ultrasound picture that I'm hoping to post soon. (I just have to figure out how to do that here.) Our little peanut is such a cute little squirt! :) I can't wait till we can actually tell more people about him or her. :) 

Our Family is Growing

Well, we (or maybe I should say Kristine) started this blog to keep our family and friends, near and far away, connected with our Hufford family. For about a year and a half, our Hufford family has included a radio engineer/producer and a middle school teacher. We've been loving our time together to build our marriage. We've had a lot of fun being spontaneous and  fancy-free.  

And now, the tides are changing...just a bit. We are welcoming another member into our family. He/She may be another engineer or teacher, or maybe even a firefighter, dancer, composer, doctor, IT guy, or receptionist. We're not sure with him/her being only 7 and 1/2 weeks old. We're mostly just concerned about our little "peanut" growing up to be a healthy little baby! 

Our peanut (our loving name for our baby) has a flickering little heartbeat, and, according to the books I'm reading, this week he/she has a mouth and tongue and even little kidney's. We have been praying that our little one is growing just as they should. 

For those of you who are wondering, I have been feeling remarkably well. Much better than I ever expected to be! I have stronger scene of smell and have loved eating peanuts and raisins. Surprisingly, I have not wanted even a nibble of chocolate. I've been giving our little peanut a personality before he/she even born: "The baby wants it." "The baby is tired." Eric recently made me laugh by saying, "Are you sure it's not just you?" How am I supposed to know? It very well might be the baby! :) 

We are excited about our baby that is on the way. Eric has been extremely supportive, encouraging, and extra sweet as he cares for us. I am scared of all the changes to come physically, emotionally, and relationally.  But Eric gently reminded me that while we weren't planning this, obviously God had a plan for us; therefore, he will continue to take care of us and continue to show his faithfulness (which we have seen thus far).  

Thanks for joining us along the journey!