Expecting!

I am sure that most of you have heard by now, but the Kasparbauer crew is about to expand into a family of four!!

Randy and I could not be more excited to welcome our new little miracle into our home and our hearts this coming fall. Our due date is September 26th, 2011! As an educator, September is always a time of new beginnings, and that will be extra true this year. Randy's birthday is September 24th, so if this baby decides to come on time, it will share a birth month with him. Quinn and I both have March birthdays, and I am looking forward to lots of joint celebrations with her. :-)

I found out I was pregnant in January, which feels like forever ago. My friend Jenni and I were out to lunch, and she convinced me to run to Walgreens to grab a pregnancy test. I "knew" that it would be negative (my inner pessimist rearing her ugly head) but Jenni, the eternal optimist, convinced me just to try. Well, I got a positive result within just a few seconds. She claimed to have known all along! Such a smartie. I told another friend right away, then kept the news secret from everyone except Randy for weeks and weeks. Eventually, we leaked the story to more and more family and friends, until everyone knew.

This past Friday, I took a day off of work (a huge deal for me!!) and went for my first OB visit. I get really nervous before anything medical, even routine things, so I was kind of a wreck. I knew that if I could hear that little heartbeat (wokka-wokka, as Randy calls it), I would feel a million times better. Sure enough, it came through loudly and clearly. Randy and I went out for lunch - McDonald's, because we're fancy like that - and I headed over to a lab to get some blood drawn. Everything is normal, and we are off to a good start!

I am feeling...okay.Very, very tired and fatigued. I find myself napping almost every day! I have come home from school to fold laundry and have found myself asleep in the middle of my towels. I have been pretty nauseated and have had awful heartburn, but I know it will go away. The only thing that makes me feel better is to keep eating! I've gained quite a few pounds already, but I am hoping that the nausea/my ravenous appetite will taper off soon. I have been eating everything in sight!

We are beginning to prepare for Baby K as well. Quinn will move to a big-girl bed sometime in the fall (not going to push her into it), and I found the perfect comforter for her. I can't wait to buy her bedroom furniture and get that organized. Once we know the baby's gender we can decide if the current nursery decor stays or goes! I have gotten some teeny-tiny diapers and will continue to stock up as I see deals. Quinn had her first year's wardrobe organized before she was even born, so I will be doing some baby duds shopping as well. I might not be able to dress Baby K for a whole year, but I do like to be ready for anything!

Thanks for all of your kind words, friends. I will share lots of updates on how I am doing, the baby's progress, and of course, my ever-growing belly.

Have a great week!